Major
by LostInThought32
Summary: When someone from Det. Goren's haunting past shows up to work for the Major Case Squad, can he handle the changes that are being thrown at him, or will he lose all control in both his cases and his personal life?
1. Prologue

_Amor Vincit Omnia_ (Love Conquers All)

Disclaimer: Law & Order: Criminal Intent and all of its characters do not belong to me. However, Det. Val Johnson's mine.

* * *

Goren laid down beside his wife as she read up on the latest cases for her precinct. A smile formed on his chiseled face as he placed his hand on their last chance for a child; his wife's four-month baby bump.

"Bobby, I can't concentrate with you there..."

Goren grinned, "Valerie, you had your eyes glazed over; you weren't reading..."

She snapped the file shut as a smile began forming on her red lips, "Shut-up. How was your case?"

"Perp fled to Canada... The boys have a warrant to get him."

"That's good. How's Gage treating it?"

Goren smiled, "He's treating him like butterfly wings found buried in volcanic rock."

"Go figure... He was always the eccentric one..."

Goren chuckled, "So, how did the doctor's visit go?"

The green eyes of his wife shone, "The doctor said that this one might last!"

His heart started to soar, but he quickly snuffed it, "Val, don't jinx it!"

"Jinx what? I thought you didn't believe in jinxes..." she leaned over and kissed his cheek.

He shook his head sadly, "I don't want to lose this one like we've lost the others."

Valerie sighed and sank back into the bed, "We won't lose this one, I promise."

He let his back relax, "Are you going to go undercover tomorrow?"

"Nope; Gavin won't let me do anything but desk work and Grey doesn't know yet. He just thinks I'm sick of busting those druggies."

"You haven't told your partner yet?"

Valerie tried to smother her yawn, "He's like a father to me... He's going to become very over protective and I'd like to be free from that for as long as I can."

"You worry too much." Goren laughed, "Tell him soon. I want someone on your tail, protecting you from what I can't."

"Ooh, the scary copy machine? I'll be sure to tell him as soon as I walk into work..."

* * *

A week later, Goren awoke to Valerie's screams. He flipped the lights on, finding the sheets covered in blood. He began looking for another possible cause, praying silently that there was. He couldn't find one, "Oh God... No, not again..."

"Bobby, it..." her voice broke, tears forming in her eyes, "It's happening again..."

He ran to the bathroom and grabbed an old blanket. Wrapping her in it, he picked her up and carried her out to the car, "We're going to the hospital..."

* * *

He held her hand through the entire procedure. She cried softly as her doctor came in to see them, "I'm so sorry... We thought for sure that this one would happen for you."

Goren stared at the wilting figure of his wife, "We did too..."

"It's recommended that you don't try to have a child for a while... There's always invetro, but I have to recommend surrogacy. Your sister is a prime candidate..." the doctor was fishing, trying to help the broken hearts.

Valerie's head hurt from crying, but she couldn't find an end. Goren squeezed her hand, letting her know they would figure something out, "She just got married. We can't ask her to do that for us."

Valerie finally found her voice, "She'd never do that anyway! She hates that I married you! She's never approved that I married a fellow detective!"

Goren's voice wavered as he spoke, "Baby, she'd do anything to help you, whether she likes me or not..."

Valerie opened her mouth to argue, but a nurse entered to replace her IV bag. She rolled over, letting go of her husband's hand to attempt to sleep through the hell.

* * *

Their two year anniversary was their last week of absolute bliss. Valerie still felt the sting of the last miscarriage, but she allowed herself the much needed feel of love between them. Goren had taken the week off so they could drive down to the beach where they had gotten married. The condo they had rented then still stood as it had two years before.

"Baby, I love you." Goren said, watching his wife sitting on the couch, reading.

"And I love you." Valerie closed her book and stood, wrapping her arms around his neck, "You're too good to me. I wish my family could see that..."

Goren led her back to the bedroom and closed the door, "Sweetie, I don't care what they think. They aren't the ones that I want to love me. You are the only one that matters to me."

She hugged him tighter, "Then promise me that you'll never leave me."

* * *

It was the one thing she had coveted the most; her marriage. People had looked at him with uncertainty, but she had been blinded by his harmless, yet curious, behavior as soon as they met. They had eight years of dating, dinners, and working on cases together, and two of marriage. To her, they were ten full years of bliss. Yet here she was, wearing her infirmities on her sleeve, and waiting on another.

Valerie had never been bothered by Goren's late nights on the job. She knew what three cases at the same time could do to a detective. She trusted him to stay true, until he came home a month after their anniversary, a poignant smell of woman's perfume on his clothes. She started questioning him tentatively, as not to start a fight. Despite her firm attempt not to, within five minutes, she snapped; he slept on the couch for the rest of that night.

Her sister was the first person she fell on when she realized almost at once why her entire family had worried when they met him. Not wanting to see her sibling's marriage destroyed, Julia gave Valerie a small hope; Goren was just working case with this other woman. The couple attempted to patch things up at Christmas, but that only made things worse. Valerie had just given her younger cousin, Ricky, a hug when Goren came out of nowhere and slugged him. That was the end of everything. Once the divorce papers arrived a week later, all hopes quickly became ephemeral sensations. Believing that this other woman had become her precursor, and knowing there would be no trust left between them, she signed them with haste. She was not going to be the one to instigate again.

When the court had begun over custody, his over powering ways became vividly apparent. He had gotten his precinct's lawyer to help him, leaving her to fend for herself. She and her lawyer didn't stand a chance against them. _He'd_ gotten the house, _he'd_ gotten the car, and all she had to show for the divorce were the deep emotional scars left on her heart.

After thirty-five minuets of waiting, the waitress came by and she ordered her fourth cup of coffee. She began imagining the idyllic future that she and Goren would have had. They were planning to move into the country and finally have the child they had attempted and failed to have so many times. They wanted to grow old together and watch their baby grow up, get married, and have children of his or her own.

She bit back the bitter, furious tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. She was not going to be the one that cried again. She was done running from these taunting memories.

She forced herself to continue ominously imagining the future that should have been. It was like ripping off a bandage; painful, but it has to be done some time. The coffee came, and she poured the burning liquid down her throat. The sting of the small blisters on her tongue helped her overcome the pain still dwelling in her heart.

Valerie's mind wandered to the interlude between the divorce and where she was now, sitting by herself. Julia and her husband had allowed her to stay at their home, for free, and helped her find her feet once again. They had given her the courage and strength that she needed to get through the tough times and had stood by her at every divorce hearing. They were her solid rock.

Her life seemed to be turning around now that she had been on her own for almost two months; she had been promoted to senior detective, finally cracked two of the cold cases lying on her desk, and had even found an apartment for herself. She felt one hundred percent when it came to everything but her heart.

The animated clock on the diner's wall chimed in an elated manner, he was now an hour late. Her sister, her twin, was the reason she was here now, waiting on this phantom man. She was told he was a great guy, one that respects women. He was known to be the understanding type, not like the man Goren had stopped being in their last few months together. She had never personally met this man before, or even talked to him, but everything she heard from her sister pointed toward her type of Mr. Right. He was a real knight in shining armor. So where was he?

Valerie knew when she was being stood up and decided to go home. She didn't need this from another man, she had work in the morning. Heaving a sigh, she stood, and tossed money for her purchases on the table with a small tip. Her green eyes once again, quickly scanned the many faces around her before stepping into the bright, warm, afternoon sun. With every step she took toward her place she built a complex labyrinth around her broken heart. For now she, Detective Valerie Johnson, was done with this game called love, but she knew that, in time, she would be alright.

* * *

She'd been chasing this suspect for some time now, and he wasn't giving up anytime soon. She rounded the corner, screaming the directions to her new partner who followed her in the car, "Left on Pike, heading east!"

Her radio fizzed for a moment and her new partner's voice crackled through when he spoke, "Got ya! How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine!" she yelled, "Taking another left!" She leaped over the trash can the perp knocked over in her way.

"Johnson, you don't look alright, you're limping!"

She watched her rise and fall in the windows, "I must've twisted it... Right on Main!"

"I see you; you don't need to yell directions!"

Rounding another corner, she began to feel dizzy, "Stop! You are under direct order of an NYPD officer! Stop _now_!"

Breathless, she got around the next block and started toward the alley that he had run down. She took the turn too sharp, and the last thing she remembered was hitting the ground.

* * *

An hour later she awoke in the hospital, her old partner standing over to her, "Oh thank God!"

"Wha-What happened Grey?" she asked, feeling groggy. She moved her hand up to her face and felt the deep gash in her left cheek.

Grey sighed, "Mitch said you passed out. The doctor has run some tests and he wants to speak to you..."

Johnson sat up, "Where is he?"

"Your doctor is a she... I'm supposed to page her when you come to..." Grey answered, hitting the call button.

Within a minute, the doctor was in the room, "Valerie, I've got some good news and some bad news..."

Grey's smile faded, "What's going on? Bad news?"

"Given her history, we're commanding bed rest and a halt on all cases."

Johnson's face fell, "For what?"

"Valerie, you're five months pregnant..."

She sucked in a breath, "No... I-I can't be..."

"I've done some history checking with your doctor, and you were the smaller twin, am I right?" The doctor sounded caring as she spoke. Johnson nodded and the doctor continued, "You're uterus didn't fully develop, that's why you have had so many miscarriages."

A giant lump formed in her throat, she had never told Grey she wanted children. He was like the father she never had and he knew it, but that was just something that she had trouble telling him. He stared at her with his chocolate brown eyes, "You never told me..."

"Because I've had _four_ miscarriages in the last _two_ years!"

Grey picked up her hand and kissed it, reminding her of how she had taken the place of the children that he had never had, "My little girl... Having a baby of her very own?"

Her mind went back to Goren, her ex-husband, the man she was both loved and hated. She felt stupid for blaming him of infidelity, her sister had been right. She couldn't forgive him, though, for turning right around and blaming her for cheating. Johnson sighed, wondering if this would finally be the pregnancy to actually provide her with a child.

The doctor interrupted her train of thoughts, "Is there a number that I can contact the father at, or do you want to do that?"

"He's going to treat it as my last four pregnancies, I'm going to miscarry."

The doctor laid her hand on Johnson's shoulder, "Not if we can help it."

* * *

Dating did nothing for Goren anymore. He couldn't get that break up out of his mind. He'd gone into a slight depression when he found the papers had been signed the day Johnson had received them. He lit another cigarette after smothering the small stub of the last one underneath his size thirteen shoe. '_Where does she get off thinking I was cheating? She has had to kiss at least more than three men on the job and I didn't mind, she loved me. I kiss a woman, my partner, __**once**__ because I have to act the part I was given, and __**I'm**__ on the couch...?'_

These thoughts circulated through his mind as the waiter came over, "Sir, can I take your order?"

"Give me a few more minutes..."

The waiter nodded and walked away. Goren's anger turned into fear, he was becoming like his father. Abandoning the woman who loved him, who only wanted to please him, who wanted to give him the child she couldn't have. '_What am I doing? I vowed never to do this...'_

A blonde woman walked up, "Hi... Are you Bobby Goren?"

Goren looked up from the concrete beneath his feet, "Yeah, that's me..."

"Frank called me and told me about you. I'm Rebecca Walker..." she sat in the weather proof chair beside him, the giant umbrella at the table shading her face.

Goren rolled his eyes, '_Of course he did...',_ "I thought I told him I wasn't open to blind dates..."

She smiled brightly, "It doesn't have to be a date if you don't want it to be..."

"No, it's alright, but you'll have to forgive me if I don't kiss you good night."

* * *

Johnson entered her ninth month of pregnancy still thinking that she would miscarry at any given time. The doctors had tried to ease her worry, but only seemed to make it worse. She had tried to get one of them to let her go home and take a nurse with her for the needed medical supervision, but was turned down. Grey came to visit her as often as he could, bringing a little of this and a little of that for her. She began looking forward to them as much as she looked forward to her sister's.

During his last one, she had just had an examination by her ob-gyn, Dr. Maria Jones. He hoped that she finally decided to get the sex of the child, but knew that hoping was just a wasted emotion when it came to that topic. She smiled when she saw him, "Hey Richard... How's the job?"

He'd been promoted to captain since she was forced to go on leave, "Pretty good. I could use a detective like you. We've got a drug ring with their hands in the pockets of every major investor in the city..."

She smiled, "So the usual?"

"Yep. Have you called Goren yet? He's got the right to know..."

"I don't want him to think that he has to come back to me because of this child. He'll find a way of twisting everything around..." Johnson sighed, pulling her hair back.

Grey handed her a hair tie and sat beside her, "Honey, you have to tell him eventually..."

"I know..."

He reached over and took her hand, "Remember what I told you when we first became partners?"

"Face your fears before they consume you..."

"Right, now I want you to call him before you have this child and tell him to come down here."

* * *

Waking up beside another woman felt wrong. Goren's head swarmed every time he went on a date, hoping that none of them wanted to sleep with him. He sighed, tucking the new pack of cigarettes into his shirt pocket and exited the store. Instead of heading toward home, he walked toward the precinct to finish his paperwork.

His phone buzzed; he had a voice mail. He dialed his box and listened to the hesitant voice, "Hi Robert; it's Valerie... I need you to..." he snapped the phone shut, he couldn't listen to it any more.

He walked into his building and headed toward his desk, '_What did she want?'_

As he sat in his chair, he had more questions than answers running though his mind. He was tempted to listen to the rest of the message, but with his phone it was already gone; he'd forgotten to save it.

* * *

Johnson's sister Julia and her husband Stephen arrived at the hospital almost thirty minutes after Grey had forced her to call Goren. She smiled, '_It's good to feel this amount of love in a room again_...'

Stephen opened the box of assorted chocolates that he and his wife had brought for everyone and passed it around, "So sis, when are you going to pop that kid out?"

Johnson sat up with some help from Grey, "When you grow up and _get a job_..."

"Damn, I think she's going to be hormonal for the rest of her life," he said, covering his heart with both hands, a fake shocked look on his face, "Because that hurt."

Johnson felt the child moving, reminding her of what she almost did to her ex, "The doctors seem to think it could be any day now..."

Julia sat down on the bed beside her sister, "Sweetie, you're going to have this child, and it's going to be healthy. I know that you think otherwise, call it a twin's intuition."

Johnson sighed, "I can't squelch this feeling. I'd like to, but I've never gotten this far before."

"But you have, and you've felt it moving, you know it's there."

Johnson smiled, knowing her sister was once again right. She stared Stephen down, "Hey _pretty_ _boy_, hand over the chocolates and no one will get hurt."

Stephen laughed giddily, "Oh? And what will you do, spout more messed up hormonal remarks at me?"

"I'll have Grey shoot you." she laughed.

Grey flashed Stephen his un-loaded gun, trying to look serious, but ended up laughing alongside everyone else.

* * *

Goren opened his desk drawer and routed through it, looking for his favorite pen. It was the last thing he had gotten from his mother before her schizophrenia kicked in.

_It was his sixth birthday and he and his brother Frank were running around, driving his mother crazy. Frank had written a 'Kick Me' sign and taped it to Goren's back. Goren was both chasing his older brother and looking for a pen to write one for Frank. He remembered asking his mother time and time again for the one she was using to write out his invitations, but was turned away with the threat of not having a party at all._

_That night, he, his mother, his brother, his father, and family friend Mark Ford Brady got together to celebrate little Bobby's birthday. He went through his presents with great excitement, but the one that had excited him the most was the pen. He got up almost immediately and wrote a 'Kick Me' sign for his brother, who wore it for the rest of the night._

Goren smiled at this memory and retrieved the pen, knocking something else on the floor. He bent over to pick it up and stopped; it was his wedding picture.

_He and Valerie had just exchanged vows and walked back down the aisle to the sand dune in front of the sunset. The photographer had them standing there for all of the shots. All of them were beautiful, but this was the best. The bright yellow/orange behind Valerie accented her red hair beautifully. After the pictures were taken, they had gone back to the reception hall for dinner. Her sister, and the rest of her family were there, along with her partner Richard Grey. Goren's friends had shown up to show their support. Neither of them had their parents there. His mother had gone through a relapse that weekend and couldn't leave the hospital, and his brother was nowhere to be found. Her mother died when she graduated from high school, and her father died when she was five. The rest of Valerie's family seemed to welcome him in reluctantly, but still did none the less. Despite the disappointments because of their family, it was the happiest day of their lives._

He stared at the happy faces in the picture for a few minutes, almost wishing that he could go back. He picked it up and stowed it back into his drawer, not wanting to fully open those wounds again.

* * *

Johnson and Julia were left alone for some 'girl talk' while the guys went to get food. Julia felt her sister's stomach while the baby began kicking, "How does it feel Val?"

"It feels strangely wonderful... I called Robert before you got here..."

Julia looked shocked, "Did he pick up?"

"No, but I left a message. I don't know if he's going to get it. Or even come..."

"Did you tell him what's going on?"

Johnson nodded, "I told him everything that I..." her eyes widened, "Oh _God_..."

"What?" Julia's face flooded with concern, "Are you alright?"

Johnson began to panic as she looked down at the dark stain on the sheets, "I think my water just broke..."

Julia smacked the call button and Johnson's ob-gyn ran into the room. Seeing Johnson's face she grabbed a few nurses, "Okay, let's get you to a delivery room..."

* * *

Gage walked into the Bullpen where Goren was still working on paperwork, "How's the paper work going Bobby?"

"It's going well..."

Gage sat down on the desk, "What's going on? You're distracted."

Goren buried his face in his hands and let his breath out slowly, "Valerie called... She sounded worried..."

"Bobby, you actually talked to her?"

Goren moved so only his chin was in his palms, "No. She left me a message..."

"Did you listen to the whole thing to see what she wanted?" Gage was beginning to get angry and wasn't afraid to show it.

"No... I couldn't."

Gage stood, putting his hat on, "Forget her. She's just holding you back. You don't have to respond to her every call. You're a free man Bobby Goren."

Goren nodded silently, wondering if Gage was right. Was it just easier to forget her?

* * *

Almost an hour after Johnson was moved to deliver; a doctor took Julia back to an empty recovery room. Julia sat thinking her sister would come back in a while, but she never did. Instead, Jones walked in, a bundle of blankets in her arms, "Here he is..."

Julia gasped, "Where's Valerie?"

"She almost bled out. She has to have a complete hysterectomy... She'll be out in a few hours... I'm sorry." The doctor placed the small newborn in her arms and left the room.

Julia stared down at her nephew, her sister's only child, and the remainder of a shattered marriage, '_How can someone so small be so much to one person?'_

* * *

Goren left the precinct around eleven, trying to take Gage's words to heart, '_Just forget her Bobby, it's all over now. There's nothing you can do about it... But what if I can?'_

He flipped his phone open and dialed his voice, praying that there was at least the number left; it wasn't. He sighed and pulled out his cigarettes and lit one up, '_I hope we did the right thing...'_

* * *

Johnson woke up a sharp pain in her abdomen, "Did I get shot? Where the _hell_ is that bastard? I'll break his crooked neck..."

Julia put her hand on her sister's shoulder, "Sweetie, you just had your son... He's healthy, but they had to do a total hysterectomy. The pain killers are going to be screwing with your head for a while..."

Johnson forced her mind to concentrate, "Son? It was a boy! Oh, Bobby always wanted a boy!" she had the enthusiasm of a child sometimes, "Is he here yet?"

"No, I'm sorry. " Grey stepped forward, "Robert hasn't even called..."

Stephen passed his nephew to his sister-in-law, "He's got his father's eyes..."

"I miss those eyes. It'll be good to see them again..." She took her son and began to cry gently, "I can't believe I finally had him..."

"Congratulations." Grey said with a smile, "I'll step in whenever you need me too..."

Julia and Stephen agreed, "So will we... Robert doesn't know what he's missing..."

* * *

Goren stared at the calendar on the wall, had it really been eight years since he'd gotten custody of the house and car? He couldn't help but identify with the suspect in the case he and his new partner, Alexandra Eames, were working on. Both men had won the custody battles in their divorce cases and both marriages were effaced by accusation of infidelity.

Eames looked up from the documents on her desk, "Bobby, you alright? Maybe you should go home and rest a while... Carver doesn't need these papers until noon tomorrow..."

"No, I'm alright." he pushed the past out of his mind as he had eight years ago, "Hand me that file... I'll sort through the details."

* * *

It was Robert Goren Junior's eighth birthday and all of his friends were there to celebrate. Bobby ran up to his mother and tugged on her skirt, tears on his cheeks, "Mom... Why isn't dad here? I thought he was going to come..."

Johnson kneeled down and put her arms around him, "Baby, I don't know..."

Grey came over to the two and handed Bobby a big package, "Here kiddo... I got this for ya."

The boy cleared his cheeks of the tears and began ripping at the wrapping paper, "Oh WOW!!! A Spider Man set? That's _SO_ COOL! Thanks Uncle Richard!" He hugged Grey and ran to show his friends.

Johnson hugged him as well, "Thank you. It's getting so hard having him thinking that his father will show up out of nowhere..."

Grey let her go after a few seconds, "It'll get better in time... Robert will meet his father sometime before he's twenty. I guarantee it."

A five-month-pregnant Julia walked over to the two adults with a birthday bag in her hands, "Jeez sis, how did you go through this?"

"I didn't know, remember?" Johnson laughed, taking the bag from her sister, "Where's Stephen?"

"At work... He'll be off at three. Till then, I can fill his empty space... So, when are we cutting the cake?"


	2. Change of Heart

Disclaimer: Law & Order: Criminal Intent and all of its characters do not belong to me. However, Det. Val Johnson's mine.

"Ah, Madam Argon, how are you this evening?" the waiter at the door of Le Gamin Café asked as a small, curly haired woman in a too-big mink coat walked up with her limo driver. She nodded at him, but didn't answer as he pulled the door open for her. She didn't open her mouth for anyone until she was sure that she and her driver were alone in a private room.

"Are you positive that we are alone?" she asked the big burley man, "I don't want to be overheard... If we don't make this deal today, or we are overheard, it's all over for everyone. Including you."

The man looked around, "I assure you Ma'am, we are alone."

"Well then, go outside and make sure that it stays like that."

He nodded as she pulled out a phone. He turned around, pulled open the door, and gasped.

Mrs. Argon finished dialing the phone, but never got to talk to the person on the other side of the phone. Her throat was slit by the man standing in front of her, the phone dropping out of her hand,

"Mrs. Argon, if this is some joke, the rest of your life will be spent in jail. Do you understand that? So are you in or out?"

The murderer picked up the phone, and spoke into it, "You are too late, she's out," Then added in a sarcastic voice, "And dead." The phone was flipped shut and crushed it beneath his shoe.

Le Gamin Café

Vanderbilt Avenue

Saturday, February 2

Eames and Goren arrived at the restaurant in time to see Captain Ross talking to a red-haired woman, "You've been following this woman and her crime spree for seven years now? Why haven't you restaurantbeen able to pin her yet?"

The woman rolled her eyes and sighed, "The way she works, there is no way to pin anything but being an over dresser... I'm not surprised that she met her end like this."

"Ah, Detectives Eames and Goren, this is... Ross started, but was cut off by Goren,

"Detective Valerie Johnson."

The woman smiled, "Oh my... I never thought I would have the _pleasure_ of seeing you again..."

"The same for me... How long has it been? Eleven years?" Goren asked, sarcastically.

"My my... Has it been that long already?" Johnson asked, surprisingly even more sarcastic than Goren.

Eames looked at Goren, "Oh, an old partner Bobby?"

"You could say that..."

"Ex-wife." Johnson said rolling her eyes and crossing her arms.

Goren turned to Ross, "So what've we got?"

"Two victims... The forty-year-old male, hasn't been identified yet, but the sixty-year-old woman has been identified as Mrs. Hazel Argon, a notorious drug dealer. Stab wounds to the male, a slit throat for Argon... You were married Goren? It's not on your file like it _should_ be..."

Goren sighed, "I'm not really proud of it...Look at the way she fell. It's not normal for a behind throat slitting." he kneeled down by the victim's body, tilting her head up, "The slit isn't angled like one either..."

Eames and Johnson bent down next to Goren, "So Argon saw her attacker?"

"From the look of it, yes... Look at the patterns of the blood on the carpet... She was still alive when her attacker left... The blood starts over there. She must've been stabbed over there, drug herself over here, and then bled to death. What time were the bodies found?"

Ross opened the file that he was holding, "One of the waiters, a Mr. Warshaw, found them around 11:30 PM... He's in police custody as of now being questioned, but he's having a hard time talking about it. The security cameras in this place don't work, so there is no chance to catch this murderer on film..."

Goren looked at the burber carpet, "Did the CSU get some clippings from the carpet? There seems to be some gum on the floor here... It's been on a shoe for a long time, there is a small piece of a leaf in it..." he picked up a pair of tweezers and took a sample.

Johnson bent down again, looking past the body, "There is a piece of some type of plastic over here... Looks like the type that some cell phone companies use for the backing... Was there a phone found on Argon or... Wait, I know that face, the man is her limo driver/body guard, Miguel Sanchez... I remember him because I got the shit beat out of me by him when I got too close to Argon..." she put on gloves and picked up the plastic piece, putting it into a bag that a CSU had in his hands, as he turned to walk away, she gently grabbed his arm, "Was there any type of phone found in this room?"

"Uh, no... It's not on file... We'll keep looking though." The CSU replied as he closed the bag.

Goren turned to Johnson, "Why are you so sure there was a phone?"

"She always dealt her merchandise by phone... Always a prepaid cell so it's untraceable, but she always found a way to save numbers on them... That's how we found her... We got her old memory chip. The only problem is she gets a new one every month as she moves from place to place."

Eames looked at Johnson, "Do you still have the files on hand?"

"I've sent for them." Ross answered for her.

"We do have a list of everyone that was in the restaurant last night, right?" Johnson asked.

Ross nodded, "Just got it in, I'll start the department on phone calls to them..."

Goren sighed, "Please tell me that this is some type of joke... You are going to work with us now?"

"She has been working this case for seven years now, almost all of it undercover... Now that her target subject has been killed, she's with us in the Major Case Squad. Detective Goren, will this be a problem?" Ross asked.

"No Captain." Goren said, almost looking ashamed.

Eames gasped, "Bobby, are you blushing?"

Goren ignored the question, "I think I will go and help the other detectives with questioning Mr. Warshaw..."

Goren sat down at his desk across from the waiter, "Mr. Warshaw, I know what you saw was terrible, but I need you to tell me exactly what you saw..."

"I...I was sent to clean out the private room by my boss Mrs. Smith, and when I entered the room, I saw the man and the woman lying on the floor..." he took a giant breath, then continued, "There was no one around... The room was booked for two hours, starting at nine o'clock; they should've been gone by eleven... Our manager has this policy that we don't clean the private room until the users have been gone for a half an hour..."

Goren cut in, "Why is that?"

"I think it is so if they left some belonging, they can get it, or if it's gone, they can't put the blame on the staff..."

"Well that makes sense... Do you charge the users extra for those thirty minutes?"

Warshaw blinked, "No sir, that's why the rich loves to use us... Some of them even use those thirty minutes for themselves... As long as they don't order anything, those thirty minutes are theirs..."

"But you just said the thirty minutes start when they leave..."

"I meant when someone pays... Or, when they leave..."

Goren sat back in his chair, "Did someone pay last night, Mr. Warshaw?"

"Uh, I suppose so, Mrs. Smith didn't tell me that much. I never saw anyone leave or enter the room all night, but then again I was busy bussing tables."

Goren stood up and stretched out his arm to Warshaw, "Thank you Mr. Warshaw. I think we have enough information for now. If anything comes to you, call us. Until then, you can go home."

They shook hands and Goren had another officer escort Warshaw to his car. He then took out his phone and called Eames,

"Eames, we need to pay Mrs. Smith a visit."

Smith Residence

Monday, February 2

Eames and Johnson arrived at Mrs. Smith's house in time to see a car pull out of the driveway.

"What do you make of that?" Eames asked Johnson, who shrugged,

"I don't know, but just in case, I've got the license number."

Eames nodded, "So what happened?"

"To what?"

"You and Bobby? I know he can be rough at times, but I've seen the sweeter side to him more than a few times..." Eames turned off the car and opened the driver side door.

Johnson sighed, "Oh, wow... I... He... We met when we were stationed in Germany, but married eight years later...We were only married for two years and the last three months of our marriage were really bad. The stress from his job was just racking up on him. He was constantly accusing me of cheating and it felt like he was always looking for fights... Everything fell apart at Christmas when he beat the crap out of my cousin because he thought we were getting too close..." she sighed, "Leaving him was one of the hardest things that I have ever done..."

They had just reached the door, Eames knocked, "Really?"

Johnson gave her a sad smile, "Yeah, but every time I see him, I feel nothing but anger mixed with the smallest bit of love... I know it's hard to believe, but after these eleven years, I wonder what it could've been like."

The door opened before Eames could press her for any more answers, to reveal a rather tired woman with frizzy red hair and a long pink bath robe,

"Do you two have any idea what time it is? What do you want?"

Eames and Johnson pulled out their badges, "I'm Detective Eames. This is Detective Johnson. We have a few questions for you Mrs. Smith."

The woman nodded, and invited them in, "I suppose this is about what happened at my restaurant. You two can sit there."

"Yes, we just need some information about the people in that room." Johnson said, sitting in the couch that Mrs. Smith had indicated.

"Mrs. Smith..." Eames started, but was cut off,

"Mary. Call me Mary. Mrs. Smith is and always will be my horrible mother-in-law." Mary said, sitting down on a chair across from the couch.

Eames sighed, "Alright then, _Mary_, why didn't you come down to the restaurant when the bodies were found?"

Mary sighed, "I had to stay with the kids. I have two; a boy and a girl..."

"Did someone pick up the bill for the room and food?" Johnson asked as she jotted down Mary's last answer.

"Oh, there was no food ordered... Mrs. Argon never bought any kind of food or drink when she comes to my restaurant. She uses the room for her phone conversations... I don't know who with, just that she doesn't care to be interrupted..."

"I bet that was kind of a bummer, having someone book a room, but not eat?" Eames asked.

Mary shrugged, "No, not really, she always paid extra just for the thirty free minuets we allow the customer to collect all of their belongings..."

"Sounds like the customers are doing more than eating back in the room..." Johnson said.

"No, the people who use the room use it for business dinners, parties, or large family gatherings. We don't allow that type of stuff to go on in my restaurant."

Eames narrowed her eyes, "So did someone pay? Your waiter said that you didn't tell him..."

"Yes, someone paid, but no, I don't know who. And he paid with cash."

Johnson sighed as her pencil broke and she pulled out a pen instead, "Could you describe this man?"

Mary hesitated, "No, I don't remember much about what he looks like... Just tall, skinny, and had sandy blond hair..."

"And yet you remember that he paid cash?" Eames asked.

"We don't get many people who pay cash... I wasn't the person who took the money; I was just called out to make sure it is real... I now have all of my employees call me out for cash... We've been faked out too many times..."

"Can we get all of the information you have on the person who called you to check the money?" Johnson asked Mary, unaware that she was chewing on the cap of her pen.

"Of course, whatever you need..."

"Okay, so how often did Argon come to your place?" Eames asked as her eyes met Johnson's. The look that they both gave said, 'She's lying.'

Mary thought for a moment, "I'd have to check my planner... At least twice a week, I think..."

"All right, last question for now," Johnson said, turning the page of her notebook, "Who was that pulling out of your driveway just a few minutes ago?"

Mary's eyes became wide, but narrowed quickly, "I think it's time for you two to leave... You will be hearing from my lawyer soon for the damages to the restaurant's status in this city..." she stood up and ushered Johnson and Eames to the door. When it was shut behind them, the women started down the steps,

"So, do you want to go with secrete lover, the murderer, or her husband?" Johnson asked as she pulled Eames' passenger car door open.

"Either way, she's in trouble... I'll call Goren and have him run the license plate through the system... Mrs. Smith may not have such an air tight alibi as she thought... For the request for her presence at the investigation at least..."

Eames tossed Johnson's notes down on Goren's desk as she sat down at hers, "We've got no leads yet, except the restaurant restaurae owner has nothing but lies coming out of her..."

Goren smiled getting up to get a drink from the water cooler, "Jeez Alex, don't be so harsh..."

"Oh and you are much better?" Johnson asked, sitting down at Goren's desk.

He rolled his eyes and stole a chair from the neighboring desk, "I've been looking over the past notes for the beginning of this case... It took you six years to find her?" he asked turning to his ex.

"Look, you try spending a great deal of your single life as an undercover cop... I had my own cases and what's left of our 'dynamic duo' cases to protect as well... you try balancing that with working as an undercover dealer, wondering what night your throat will be slit..."

Eames laughed, "'Dynamic duo'? God, you sound like Batman and Robin. Come on you two..."

"Yeah..." Johnson replied with a blush, "That's what the guys in the Army's Criminal Investigation Division called us when we were stationed in Germany... It was mainly Goren kicking ass and me taking tons of notes, but hey, we got our work done..."

Goren put his face into his hands and surfaced slowly, "Can we please get back to the investigation? Look here," he indicated an old note that Johnson had made, "Her phone... Did the lab send the results on the plastic shard?"

"Yeah, it was from one of those prepaid phones like the one Johnson mentioned. Apparently this type of plastic is only used by one company that makes the phones. The lab is narrowing down the search to all of the stores that sell that type." Eames said.

Captain Ross stuck his head out of his office, "Eames, Goren, Johnson... What have you got?"

Johnson walked over to Ross and gave him the files, "We have the lab running tests on the plastic shard and Goren has the lab running a search on a license from the car that Eames and I saw pulling out of Mary's driveway..."

Ross looked over the files, "Do you have any leads?"

Eames walked over and stood next to Johnson, "Not yet Captain... But we are interviewing every person that was in the restaurant between eight thirty and eleven."

Goren's phone rang, "Goren... Yes... Great, thank you." he hung up the phone and wrote something down. Standing up, he pulled his coat on, and joined the ladies and Ross, "Captain, we now have the name of Mrs. Smith's three-in-the-morning-visitor; a Mister Stan Turner, who just happen to work at Mary's restaurant."

"Fine," Ross said, "Eames, Johnson, once you get the plastic narrowed down, start calling the stores that come up, find when she bought it. Goren, go wake up Mr. Turner."

Turner Residence

Saturday, February 2

Goren walked up to Turner's house as Mrs. Turner was walking out of the house. One look at him and she turned around calling into the house,

"Tommy, there's a cop here... What did you do now?"

A black-haired boy, no older than sixteen stuck his head out of the door, "Nothing Mom! I'm just getting ready for school!"

"Ma'am, I'm not here to see your son, I'm here to see your husband... How do you know I'm a cop..? You get many here?"

Mrs. Turner laughed as she opened her car door, "You don't need a badge for me to know that you're a cop... Who else would come calling at this time?"

"True... Is Mr. Turner here?"

She nodded, "Uh, yeah. He's in the master bedroom, first door to the right."

Goren smiled, "Thanks, are you sure that he won't mind?"

Laughing she turned on the car, "If he does, It'd be a rude awakening for him..."

"How so?"

"Oh, he likes to sleep in every morning. A cop waking him up would help him get to work on time..."

Goren cocked his head, "He didn't tell you about last night?"

"What do you mean last night?"

"Two people were murdered in the restaurant, so it's closed until this case is finished. What time did he come home?"

"My god, is he some kind of suspect?"

Goren shook his head, "I just need to ask him a few questions. Could you answer mine, please?"

"Um, He got back around three-thirty, but that doesn't mean anything, he always gets back around that time."

"Okay, thank you." Goren shut her car door and watched her pull out of the drive them headed into the house. He reached the door and opened it to find a huge mess of blankets in a really dirty bedroom. Stepping up to the side of the bed, where Turner was lying asleep,

"Mr. Turner, I need you to wake up, Mr. Turner, get up!"

The man in the bed shot up, "WHAT THE HELL? WHO THE F..."

"Detective Goren. I need you to tell me why you were at Mrs. Smith's house last night... Two hours ago to be exact..."

Turner jumped out of his bed, "Who gave you permission to come in here?"

"Your wife, now answer me."

"I was coming home from work... I wasn't anywhere my boss' home"

"Not according to my partner, excuse me, _partners_. They saw your car pulling out of Mary Smith's drive way."

"Well, they lie. Like I said, I was nowhere near her home. I think you need to leave now."

Goren shook his head, "No, I need you to answer some more of my questions."

"Yeah, is that so? Well, talk to my lawyer. Now leave."

"Well you handled _that_ well." Ross said as he watched Goren walk into his office and sit down, "We were just slapped with a restraining order. Now we'll never get any information from him unless we have a damn good reason to get it."

Goren sighed, "He wasn't to open to talking anyway. His wife said that he is a bitch in the morning..."

"Goren, you practically broke into this man's home... Wife's permission or not."

"Captain, she wanted me to..."

Ross interrupted him, "Goren, I'm beginning to think that your work is beginning to be affected by your ex-wife. You've never done anything like this before..."

Goren sat back in his seat, "No, Captain, I... It's not her... It's just that I don't have Eames to keep my leash tight."

"Goren, why didn't you put her on your file?"

"I'm the one that broke up our relationship, she was just the one to pick up and leave... I was bringing the stress home from work that she didn't need to deal with, she had her own... I was constantly blaming her for being unfaithful... I didn't put her on file because she can't stand me. Quite frankly, I understand why."

Ross sighed, "I'll get Eames off the phone. It's been seven hours and so far we've got nothing but a broken cell phone plastic and everything that Johnson already had on file. You're lucky that I'm not putting you on desk work after that little show in Turner's bedroom. Now we can't get him to come in anytime soon."

"Yes Captain."

Mary met a dark figure in a back booth in a restaurant. She sat down as the man looked up at her and hissed,

"Look, the NYPD came to my house this morning. I'm tired of this. Our regulars are dropping like flies. Now that our dealer is dead, we have to get a new one. One that won't turn us in after twenty years of deals..."

The man shook his head, "No, Argon was just a weak link; one that stood in our way. She may have had the goods, but now I have them. We'll be fine. Just keep those detectives away from our deal, got it?"

Mary nodded, "Yes, I understand."

"I don't think you do... They get ANY closer, you are done. I just got rid of Calvin. He let them get close. You'll end up JUST like him if they do. Understand?"

Her eyes widened as the man got up, "Calvin... You killed him?" then seeing the look on the man's face said, "Yes, I do"

Abandoned Warehouse

Sunday, February 3

Goren and Eames arrived at the crime scene at the same time, "Bobby, are you okay? You aren't the same... Ross said that you admitted that you need me..."

Goren sighed, "I just don't think that I can deal with my ex..."

"Bobby, it's been _eleven_ _years_..."

They walked up to the Crime Scene Tape and ducked under it, holding it up for Eames, "Eleven years maybe, but it's never enough... Ross, we have another body?"

Ross pointed toward the body lying on the floor. Goren, as always, bent down next to it and started to examine it,

"His shoes are missing... Probably something on them to incriminate someone... There is also a burn around his neck... look at the angle it's bent... He was hung, and then dropped here... There's also an indication that his throat was slit... But why hang him if you are going to slit his throat?"

Eames bent down by Goren, "Probably didn't die after he was hung. Ross, are you sure that he is connected to our case?"

"Same type of knife."

"But that's not enough to connect it to our case..." Eames started to argue.

Ross cut her off, "Eames, it's enough to add it as a side note until we have stronger evidence to link it better."

"Look, there... Another piece of plastic and this time, there's gum on it..." Goren pointed out as he picked it up from beside the body.

"From another phone?" Eames asked looking at it.

"Most likely."

Ross made a note on the file, "Great. Now all we have to do is find why all of these people are dead."

Goren looked up at Ross, "This slit is more slanted than the other one... This one shows the killer is right-handed, his knife cut the left carotid artery, like Argon's."

"Right-handed killer... Could be over eighty percent of the human population..." Eames said as Goren stood up, looking up at the thick wooden bar that ran length wise across the ceiling.

"Only half of that population could be tall enough to reach that bar... There is no chair here... Which means the murderer used something else for his victim to stand on... But what?"

Eames' eyes swept the room, "I don't see anything, but it looks like this guy is getting sloppy with his work... Do we have an ID for our John Doe?"

Ross nodded, "Yeah, A Mr. Calvin Waterson, age forty-two. He's got a daughter living in an apartment building right across the street from Central Park..." Ross's phone went off, interrupting him, "Ross... yes... Great, get right on it." he shut his phone and turned back to Eames and Goren, "The lab narrowed down the stores that sell the phone. Johnson is checking that out right now. For the mean time, Go and talk to Mr. Waterson's daughter, see if she knows anything."

"Look, I don't know what you are talking about. My father, a possible drug dealer? I can't believe it. He'd never deal... He was always talking about not doing drugs and not smoking... There's no way."

Eames sat down next to the twenty-six-year-old and put her hand on her shoulder,

"I know it's hard to believe, but we need to know if there was anything strange going on."

The girl shifted in her seat, "Well, there were some nights that he never came home... I just thought he was out with his girlfriend..."

Goren held up his hand to stop her, "And who would that be? Did you ever meet her?"

She shook her head, "No, I've never seen her, but my father only refers to her as Mary..."

"Do you remember her last name? Could it have been Smith?"

Kate's eyes flooded with tears, "Y...Yes... I think so. He was finally happy... After mom died, he had so many girlfriends, I didn't know who he was with."

"Katie, could you tell me what time your father came home last night?" Eames asked making some small notes on a notepad.

"He came home around eleven thirty, but he left this morning at seven..." Katie let the tears flow, "He... he went out to take my son to kindergarten... My husband is over in Iraq, he left last month so my father moved in with me until he comes back... "

"Why couldn't you take him?" Goren asked, looking at pictures that Katie had on the wall.

She sighed, "I've got too many tickets... My license was taken last week."

Eames looked around, "Where is your son now?"

"He's over at his friend's house..."

"Katie, your father wasn't wearing any shoes when his body was found, what type was he wearing when he left?"

Katie thought hard, "White sneakers... Nike I think... He was always looking for the best pair of shoes... He was a size fourteen. He claimed none of them fit right..."

"Could we search this apartment just in case there is something that leads to why he was killed?" Eames asked Katie.

"Yes... I just want this killer caught."

Goren pulled out a drawer on the TV cabinet, "Eames..."

"What is it?" she got up and walked over to him.

"A false bottom... And look what we've got here..." he pulled out a bag of a white powder, "Crack." he handed the bag to Eames, who put it in an evidence bag.

Katie stood up, "I had no idea that he would do something like this..."

Goren put his hand on Katie's shoulder, "We're truly sorry for your loss."

Katie looked up at him, "Isn't that what everyone wants to hear?"

Lucky Clover Patch

Monday, February 4

Johnson walked up to the counter of the last store on her list and pulled out her badge, "I'm Detective Johnson, I need a list of all the purchases for the prepaid Smart Phone..."

A nerdy looking teen turned around, looking her up and down, he opened a file on his computer, "The prepaid smart phone you say?" he clicked the mouse, "What are you looking for?"

"I need to know when a Hazel Argon bought this type of phone."

The teen clicked the mouse a few times, "Uh, there's no Argon on here, the closest thing to it is Adams... So do you have a gun?"

"Look for a Layla Brady..."

Again, he clicked the mouse, "Um, what about a Marsha Brady?"

"If you are joking with this serious matter, I can slap you for withholding evidence. How about a Lilly Spall?"

The teen shook his head, "Nope, I'm sorry. What type of gun is it?"

Johnson rolled her eyes, "Look, just print out everything that was bought this month, and last."

"Okay. Do you know how often you meet a detective? It's not everyday..." He reached behind him to get the list as it ran off the printer.

Johnson took the list out of his hands, "You do know that detectives aren't always like the ones you see on TV right?"

The kid sighed, "Yes, I know... It's just cool... W.O.W. people are always talking about the detectives they meet..."

"They can't be that good, now can they?"

He shrugged, "A few of them were involved in an investigation..."

Johnson thanked him then started to walk away, but stopped and turned around, "Oh, the gun... It's a nine mill... But I prefer to use my bare hands."

Eames was sitting on top of Goren's desk when Johnson came back from phone searching, "Hey, how'd it go?"

Johnson sat down at Goren's desk, and sighed, "Argon used a different name... but her usual fake wasn't used... Neither were any of her others."

"Could she have had someone else buy it for her? An employee maybe?"

Goren walked up with a cup of coffee, closely followed by Ross.

"She might have... There's almost no way of telling now..." Johnson's phone went off as she spoke, "Johnson...Yeah we are working with the Argon case... Why were we not informed of this? _Really_? Thank you." she flipped her phone shut then turned to Eames, "She had called a police informant the night she was killed, she was going to turn in every person who ever bought from her... Seven years on that case, and all in one night I get bitch slapped for it."

Eames looked at Johnson, "What caused the change of heart?'

"According to Rodgers, she had a tumor in her brain. She only had two more months to live..."

"So Argon is going to die, she decides to turn herself and everyone else in. Her clients get a whiff, they kill her... but which one?" Goren asked as he took a sip of his coffee.

Ross leafed through the file, "Mary's lawyer was suppose to bring her in an hour ago. Go pick her up."

The detectives walked up the steps to Mary's house. Goren knocked on the door, then yelled, "MARY, IT'S THE NYPD, YOU SHOULD'VE BEEN AT OUR STATION AN HOUR AND A HALF AGO! WE NEED YOU TO COME DOWN HERE NOW!" waiting a few seconds, he looked at Johnson and Eames, who nodded, then kicked open the door.

They fanned out and searched the house, "IT'S CLEAR!" Eames yelled from the upstairs.

"Damn." Johnson swore.

Goren looked around, "From the looks of it, she packed in a hurry..." he walked over to the kitchen, "The stove's still hot... She couldn't have left more than an hour ago." he pulled out his phone and called Ross, "Captain, she ran. Get a squad out and pick her up."

"Goren, you should see what she has up here..." Eames called to him.

He and Johnson ran up to the bedroom and saw what she was referring to. Eames was standing next to a safe in the wall filled with bags of pills, inhalants, and any other type of drugs that could be sold on the street.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Johnson asked as she carefully took some of the bags out of the safe.

"So, she was Argon's customer... Then she and Calvin re-sold them together... You think she killed him?"

Goren shrugged, "We won't know till we get her in. Until then, I think it's safe to say that she is re-selling them. Check out this pile of bank statements. All of them are deposits, all of them for over four hundred dollars."

Johnson walked out of the room and into the next one, "There are no signs that there are any children living in this house. Yet she said that she was watching her children the night of the murders at her restaurant."

Eames entered the room, "She might not have been there, but she sure had someone there..."

Major Case Station

Tuesday, February 5

"Apparently Mrs. Smith shouldn't be calling herself 'Mrs' any more. She and her husband got a divorce a year ago. Their kids are living with their father because their mother is, get this, a recovering druggie. Looks like she was doing the goods before selling them." Eames said going through the files on Mary's divorce.

Ross approached them at Goren's desk, "The DNA on the gum that was found on the plastic at both scenes was a match... And the DNA is a match for Calvin. The boys just picked up Mary Smith in Pennsylvania... They're bringing her in now. I want you and Eames in the room with her. Johnson, I want you in the observation room. Watch her every move."

"Yes Captain."

"Mary, Mary, Mary. Why did you run?" Goren asked, standing over her, shaking his head.

She glared at him and Eames, "I want my lawyer."

"I think you gave up that right when you ran." Eames replied.

Goren sat down in the chair next to Eames, "Was it because your lover was killed, or because you knew that the drug ring ended at your door step?"

Mary looked horrified, "No! Calvin was not my lover! We just..."

"Go on." Goren pushed, "You and he what? Sold drugs to people? Minors? Is that how you kept your restaurant open after the divorce? Then you killed Argon because she was suppose to turn you all in. Every person that ever bought from her. Come on, you should've known better, we will always catch you. Especially since you had her killed in _your _restaurant."

Mary's eyes flooded and tears spilled over and in between sobs, she managed to say, "No... Calvin was suppose to kill her at her house, not at my place... That bitch was going to rat us out..."

"So Calvin screws up, you kill him for it."

Mary shook her head vigorously, "No... S... Stan killed him. He was getting to careless. If you go to his house, you will be sure to find the knife..."

Goren knitted his brows together, "How did you know it was a knife that killed Calvin? We didn't release that to the press."

"Stan doesn't like guns. Calvin had borrowed the knife from Stan to kill Argon, I was there the night that Stan gave it to him."

Eames cut in, "So after Argon is murdered, Stan comes back to get the knife, he realizes that Calvin is too sloppy to help you, so he kills him with the knife?"

Mary sniffed, "Yes, that's what happened."

Eames and Goren excused themselves as Ross stepped in for more questioning, and stepped into the room where Johnson was watching through the mirror.

"She's either telling the truth, or knows how to hold a damn strong poker face. She doesn't show any signs of the normal lying patterns. She's not tilting her head, tapping her foot, or anything."

Eames nodded, "Well, now all we have to do is get a search warrant for Stan's house. When Ross is done, this case is in the bag."

The detectives knocked on the Turner's front door. As it opened, Goren was the first one that Stan saw. Immediately, he started to slam the door, but Goren got his foot in the way in time,

"Mr. Turner, we have in our possession a search warrant, which we intent to put into action. Now I know that in the beginning you and I got off on the wrong foot, but if you have anything to tell us, say it now."

Stan took the warrant out of Goren's hands, then glared at him, "You son of a bitch... I ain't got nothing to hide."

"Fine... Johnson, check the closet, look for shoes, size fourteen. Eames, the knife?"

Eames went into the kitchen while Johnson started on the closet.

"Hey, I've got something!" Eames said, holding a knife carefully in a towel, "Looks like the same type Rodgers suggested. She put it into one of the bags someone from the CSU was holding.

Stan looked over the warrant for the twentieth time, "Look, I didn't kill nobody!"

"And yet you have the knife. Look at these blood stains. I'll bet Calvin and your prints are all over this..."

"And the shoes! Goren, they're a match!"

Goren picked up one of the shoes, "Well, well, look at this... There's a piece of plastic stuck in the gum on the sole. The same type of plastic and gum at both of the scenes." he pointed to it, sticking the shoe in Stan's face.

"Alright, alright... I killed that bastard. He was sloppy. He wanted more money. Mary and I didn't need him anymore. We had enough drugs to last us a year of selling."

Eames came up behind Stan and cuffed him, "Mr. Turner, you're under the arrest for the murder of Calvin Waterson, possession and selling of drugs..."

Eames and Goren had gotten Stan's statement within minutes of bringing him in,

"We sat him down and he sang like a bird. He seems proud of the killing..." Eames said as they entered the observation room where Johnson and Ross were waiting.

Goren nodded, "He wants to ruin Calvin's reputation so he doesn't die like a hero to Mary... He saved her from years of jail time, or he wanted to anyway... I bet he's disappointed that she will be spending at least twenty-five years for possession, and conspiracy."

Johnson smiled, "I just can't believe it... Seven years and it all ends like this... Did the CSU find the phone pieces at Calvin or Stan's house?"

Ross nodded, "Calvin had them in the bottom of his trash can the lab's searching the call list so no one can get away with buying. I'm going to go and start arranging dates for the trial."

Once he was out of the room Eames turned to Goren and Johnson, "Coffee?"

"Oh no, I can't," Johnson said, putting on her coat, "My son is waiting on me. I promised that I'd take him to the movies today."

Eames smiled, "Oh, you have a son? How old is he?"

Johnson's eyes met Goren's, "Bobby will be eleven in July. I'll see you two at the trial."

"Oh Goren..." Eames said, putting her hand on his shoulder after Johnson was out of the room, "Bobby?"

All he could do was stare after his ex with a shocked look on his face.


	3. What's Confidential Information Anymore

Here's case 2! I'm finishing up the third case so it might be a few days before that one's up, but until then enjoy!

Disclaimer: Law & Order: Criminal Intent and all of its characters do not belong to me. However, Det. Val Johnson's mine.

* * *

The call came in around eleven in the afternoon. The tall, blond, nudist woman sitting at the reception desk answered it, then paged her boss, "Mr. McCloud, your son is on the phone... Something about missing his baseball game?"

She heard him sigh into the speaker, "Our land lord just got here... Fine, what line is he on Lisa?"

"Line two Sir."

In his office Mr. McCloud picked up his phone, "Mark, I'm sorry. I got caught up at work..."

His son's little ten year old voice came through the phone, "But dad, you swore that you would come to this one! I hit a home run! Mom's not too happy though, I got a grass stain on my chest..."

McCloud laughed, "Well she should be thankful that you didn't have a team uniform to get dirty. Look buddy, I've got to go for now... I love you." he hung up the phone and turned to the man that had been waiting in his office, "Ah, Sam... Still wearing clothes I see?"

The man sat down, "Still hanging out with the nudists? Chris, you could've hit the big time..."

"I don't need this lecture every time you come here Sam, I'm happy here... More free. Now I know you didn't come here to reminisce with me. What's going on?"

Sam sighed, "I have to drop all of my cases... I'm being forced to give up the deed to this building as well... Everything is gone. I'm so sorry. If there is anything I can do to help with the move, or getting your business back off the ground, let me know."

"Sam, why? Why is it gone? What did you do?" McCloud asked, trying not to sound desperate.

"The judge is tired of seeing me on trial... I lost my practice, my wife, everything... I've been sued too many times, and you know I can't give up gambling..."

McCloud stood up, "How long do I have?"

"Till the end of the week. I'm sorry." Sam left the room.

McCloud sat back down and looked around him, "Son of a bitch."

Sam walked down the hall of the building, but stopped when he heard someone calling him, "Sam! Sam you freak! What the hell is wrong with you? You can't give up one night of cards and beer for the people you know depend on you?" Sam turned around in time to see McCloud's secretary yelling at him.

That was enough to distract him while a hooded figure grabbed him from behind and forced him through the factory door. Sam tried to struggle, but was over powered. He was knocked unconscious.

When he came to, his head was over one of the heating bins with a silvery, boiling material inside. With every breath his lungs filled with the material, which immediately started cooling. He couldn't move, his arms and legs were tied up to the handles on the bins. Within minutes, his lungs were filled, and he suffocated.

* * *

Eastern Smelting Company

Wednesday, February 13

Ross called his detectives in to the crime scene around six in the morning. Goren and Eames had arrived together, leaving Johnson to arrive a few minutes later.

Ross was waiting there with a middle height blond man in his mid twenties, "Morning detectives... Johnson, this is Stephen Meirhofer, your partner." Johnson opened her mouth to argue, but Ross cut her off, "Now this is his first case with us, but he has had enough experience to get him here. The victim has been identified as a Mr. Sam Truman. He is the owner of this building this factory is located in, but he was going to lose it soon..." He lead them into the room where the body lay, "He's been sued for numerous things too many times, his wife just divorced him, and combine those two with his gambling addiction, he is in debt up to his ears. He's been dead for a few hours. Mr. McCloud, the owner of this factory, said that Mr. Sam here left his office around eight last night. He was found dead around five forty-five by the cleaning crew."

Goren automatically went to the body, gently lifting the victim's head up, "There are signs of the flesh being melted here... Hold on, there's something up his nose." Goren got some tweezers from one of the CSU team members and pulled a piece of the metallic object out, "It's aluminum." he stood up, looking around, then kneeled back down, looking at the victim's arms, "He was dragged, he's got a fresh rug burn on his arms... There is some bruising here on the upper arm. He fought back."

Eames took the file from Ross and looked it over, "Who was on this floor around the time of the murder?"

"According to McCloud, he and his secretary were the only ones on the floor after Mr. Truman left his office that is."

Johnson, who had been examining the surroundings for anything the murderer could've left behind, "What about security footage?"

Ross nodded to the CSU, "They're checking that out right now."

Goren turned to Ross, "Captain, where is the nearest door to the smelting room?"

"Uh, down the hall, first door to the right." Ross replied, looking over the floor's layout.

"Thanks." Goren left the room.

Eames, Meirhofer, and Johnson turned to follow him, but Ross stopped them, "Eames, Meirhofer, you can go. Johnson, can I talk to you?"

"Um, sure..." Johnson said as she watched the two walk out of the room.

Ross walked her out into the hallway, "Valerie, what's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"You just _now_ told Goren about his son? It's been eleven years! I know if I had gotten a divorce before we knew my ex-wife was pregnant and then she didn't tell me about my son, I'd be furious."

Johnson looked down at the floor, "I... I didn't find out that I was pregnant until after our divorce was finalized. I wanted to tell him, I even _called_ that son of a bitch... He never came."

Ross gave her a blank look, "The thing is you waited eleven years to tell him. _Eleven years_! You should have called him again!"

"I know. There isn't a day that I don't regret it. He does know who his father is..."

"Then why didn't you tell the father who his son is!?"

Johnson looked up at Ross, trying not to let her emotions escape, her words coming out even angrier than she intended, "Captain, put yourself in _my_ shoes eleven years ago and you'll see. Now, can I get back to helping with the case now? I'd like this killer to be put to justice A-SAP."

Ross looked at her, "Don't take that tone with me detective. I can have you pulled off of this investigation. As for Goren, you are going to let him meet his son?"

"Yes, sir. I wouldn't want anything else for my son, or Bobby."

"Fine, get back to the investigation. Don't always hide your emotions detective. That just might get you into trouble one day."

Johnson bowed her head, "_Yes_, sir."

* * *

"Goren, what are you looking for?" Meirhofer asked as they followed Goren around the smelting room.

Goren opened one of the containers, "There has to be something that would heat up to 2467

degrees Celsius, that's the boiling point for aluminum... but still small enough to put the body in such a position that wouldn't melt the whole body, just parts of the face... That's the only way he could've gotten aluminum that far up, and coating, mind you, his nose."

Eames put her hand on his shoulder, "_Lovely_. Bobby, your stressed, is this about your son and what Johnson did to you? Look, she was confused and worried about how you'd react. Her heart was in the right place, but..."

Goren stopped for a moment, "Alex, I don't really want to talk about it right now, could we get back to the case?"

"Alright, but I'm there for you whenever you need me." Eames opened another container, "What's this?"

Goren put on some rubber gloves, "Looks like solid aluminum... We need to get the CSU in here to dust for prints. There's a mask on the floor over here, the workers are suppose to put them over there... Probably what the murderer used to protect himself from this..." he walked over to one of the large heating bins, "There's the boiling aluminum in here,"

Meirhofer handed Eames a mask that the workers use to cover their face to cover hers. She put it on and Goren set up the recreation of the crime, "The murderer had to of tied him up, then somehow hoisted him up so he would stay over the bin..." He picked Eames up and put her face over it like the murderer might have done, "Then once Mr. Truman was dead, he cut him down and dragged him to the lounge," Goren explained, and put Eames down.

She took off the mask, "Where he dumped the body..."

Johnson walked into the room and Goren stiffened, "We've got the security tapes from last night, but someone had moved the camera. The one for the smelting room door was pointed down the hall, and the ones between Mr. McCloud's office and the lounge were turned to the walls."

"No chance of catching them on tape then." Meirhofer said with a sigh, "Wait, what about the cameras near the entrance?"

Johnson shook her head, "The same as the ones here. What have you three found out?"

Meirhofer put the mask back onto the wall where he had found it, "We've got the possible murder weapon, we'll have to wait until Rodgers runs her autopsy to see if this killed him or not, and a mask with possible prints."

"Let's start the questioning." Eames said, trying to lighten the air. The tension in the room was thick, and Eames was caught in the middle. Meirhofer had no idea of what was going on around him.

Goren sighed, "Let's go. As much as I'd like Johnson to get to know you, Meirhofer, I need to talk to her. Could you ride with Alex?"

He looked at Eames, who shrugged, "Uh, sure."

* * *

"I want the whole truth. Why did you keep something _this big_ from me? Didn't you stop to think that I _might_ want to know that I'm a father?" Goren asked as Johnson shut the passenger door on his car and fastened her seat belt.

She looked at him with sadness in her green eyes, "Robert, I didn't know _what_ to tell you. I called but... After all of the blame, I just thought that you'd say that I just got pregnant to keep you, or it wasn't worth doing anything because I'd just have another miscarriage. I didn't even notice until a month after we ended it. I was until I was chasing a suspect through the north side passed out."

Goren stared at her in disbelief, "Yeah, five months you never thought to check for the signs. You went five months without a period and you never noticed!?"

Johnson let her stress out, "You're not a woman! You don't know how easy it is to forget when your last one was when you're stressed!"

Goren just looked at her, thinking, "Five months... That was the longest you'd ever gone without a miscarriage."

"That's why I was ordered to stay in bed until after the delivery."

"So who does he look more like? You or me?"

Johnson relaxed a bit, "He's got his daddy's eyes and his stubborn personality. He is looking forward to meeting you; he's so excited."

Goren almost smiled, "He knows about me?"

Johnson nodded, "Everything. He also wants to meet his grandmother. I told him everything that you told me about her. I told him it's up to you if he can or..."

Goren cut her off, flinching, "My mother died a few years ago..."

"Oh Bobby, I'm so sorry. I didn't know..."

"No, it's okay... Let's just get to the office and start questioning."

Johnson nodded sympathetically, "All right."

* * *

Major Case Squad

Wednesday, February 13

Chris McCloud was seated at Goren's desk when the detectives showed up. Goren pulled up some chairs, "Now Mr. McCloud, you're sure that you and Lisa Fields were the only two on your floor when Mr. Truman left?"

McCloud nodded, "Yes, we sent the workers home early, it's the night before Valentine's Day and the guys would like to get presents for their girls. Everyone in this business is close enough to be family..."

Eames cut in, "You'd have to be; you're all nude."

"You become accustomed to it fast. Once you go nude you never want to put clothes on again." McCloud said smiling.

"And yet you're wearing a robe right now." Meirhofer scoffed.

McCloud shook his head, "No, you see, I'm obliged to help in this investigation. They wouldn't let me in here with no clothes on."

Ross called over Johnson and Eames. They excused themselves and joined him in his office. Ross nodded toward the door, Johnson closed it.

"Detectives, we just got some helpful information from Truman's secretary. Apparently Truman was about to be sued again, this time for reveling confidential information to an ex-spouse of a patient."

Johnson looked at the papers the secretary had brought over, "You think he could've had anything to do with the murder?"

"Right now, anything is possible. Eames, you and Johnson go over to Mr. Compton's house and get all the information you can press him for without a lawyer present. He refused to talk to any male detective we have, and I hate to do this to you, but one time or another at least one of you will have to go undercover in this colony..."

Johnson looked disgusted, "Undercover? That's hardly any cover at all!"

"I know, but it will have to be done. Some of the people that are in this colony dislike anyone who doesn't walk around in their birthday suits."

Eames was uncomfortable, "_Yeah_... Let's see how long _that_ lasts."

* * *

Compton's Residence

Wednesday, February 13

"Yes, I was suing Truman. Last month my wife and I filed for divorce and I got Truman to be my psychiatrist, you know, to help me deal with the pain and such. Well, my ex went to him and got notes on _everything_ that I said to that man, and used it against me in court. I lost custody of my children and the visits with them are so short, my daughter changes every time I see her."

Eames and Johnson sat in a small, hardly furnished apartment across from a well built, but balding man. Johnson was, as always jotting down detailed notes as Eames was questioning.

"So what did you say to make the judge award your ex with your children?" Johnson asked as she turned to another page in her small notebook.

The man shrugged, "I said a lot of stuff... Mostly just venting I suppose."

"Mr. Compton..." Eames started.

"Jon, call me Jon."

"Sorry. Jon, did you know that Mr. Truman owns a building that holds a smelting company? He must have a lot of patients to afford that. Did you ever get bumped to another time slot?"

Jon shook his head, "No, I heard that he only has three to four patients at a time... That money's probably from those big checks he gets from selling confidential information to people. Look, does this have anything to do with my lawsuit against him? Because if that rat is trying to get out of it..."

Johnson looked up from her notes, "No, Mr. Truman is dead..."

"And you think that _I_ killed him?"

Eames shook her head, "No, we just need to get some ideas of how people felt about him, and why they might have a motive for murder. Where were you last night?"

Jon stood up, "I was with my brother. I'm sorry, but you have to leave _now_. If you have any more questions, direct them to my lawyer."

The door was shut behind the women. Johnson put her notebook away and pulled out her phone, "I'll call Bobby and see if he can get a list on anyone else that might have it out for this guy. Even though I don't like to jump to conclusions, Jon's on the top of my list."

Eames nodded her phone in hand as well, "That's a good idea." she opened a text from Goren, "Looks like McCloud's secretary, Lisa, won't help us... Ross was right, some of these nudists are hard core. The other three patients are nudists and are taking Lisa's lead... Ross says it's either you or me..."

Johnson snapped her phone shut due to the lack of signal, "To do _what_?"

"Undercover work." By now the two were in the car, Johnson in the passenger seat again. Eames pulled the car out of its parking space and out onto the road, "Goren refused..."

Johnson rolled her eyes, "Of course he would... I've got a body that I'm never going to show to again. I can't seem to get rid of these stretch marks or scar..."

Eames laughed, "Oh, and _my_ stretch marks are totally gone?"

"What if we get a consult to get her statement for us...? Or can't we just hold her in contempt of court?"

Eames turned the wheel, "Ross said that it's a possibility, but it's easier if we just do it apparently... He said if neither of us is willing, _all_ of us have to go."

"Great, that's the _last_ thing I need."

* * *

Goren walked into Ross' office where Johnson and Eames were already seated as Ross stood up and motioned for him to shut the door. Goren did, and then sat between the women.

Ross looked at them, "Detectives, I am sorry, but there are so many people in this colony we have to interview and if we hold them in contempt, they won't talk. At least one of you needs to go."

Johnson shifted in her chair, then crossed her arms, "Captain, I know we need these people's statements, but I have to draw the line at a nude cover."

Goren sighed, "If this is the only way to get the statements," he shifted his chair, "I'll do it."

Ross nodded, "You deserve a raise. I'll get you three a hotel room in the colony..."

"Excuse me, captain... You said three..." Eames said, worried.

Ross nodded, "Yes detective, all _three_ of you need to go. I'm sorry. And Johnson, your partner, because he is a rookie, can't go undercover here just yet... After you come back from the colony, he'll be here. I'll make sure he's up to par."

"Right, we three have to do the dirty work while he sits on his butt. Some partner _I_ have..." Johnson spat sarcastically to Eames and Goren as they left the room, "I'll go get the autopsy results from Rodgers tomorrow; she said she'd have it done by lunch..."

Eames nodded, "I'll start looking for the address of the other three patients. Might as well be ready when we are dumped stark naked in the middle of a colony. Thank god I shaved above my knees this morning..."

* * *

"Jon, they are coming for me... What do we do?" Lisa asked as she pulled the covers up around her neck.

Jon kissed her on her cheek, "Don't worry... As long as they can't put us together we won't get caught. As far as they know, you are a hard core nudist, and I never mix with nudists."

Lisa returned the kiss, "You put everything into perspective!"

"Just stick to the plan and we'll be fine. This will be the easiest crime that we've ever pulled off."

* * *

Office of

Medical Examiner

Thursday, February 14

"I'm sorry to bother you, but have you gotten to Mr. Truman's autopsy yet?" Johnson asked Rodgers who had just started her lunch break.

Rodgers sighed, then set her sandwich on one of the exam tables, "Don't say it detective... All of you are the same; you come in asking for the autopsy, and then make some remark about my food being too close to the bodies. At least you were polite..."

Johnson looked a bit confused, but shook it off, "I know you're on your lunch break, but Ross wants us in the colony a-sap."

Rodgers picked up Truman's file then handed it to Johnson, "Died of suffocation. Inhalation through the nose and mouth lining the throat and lungs. There was enough aluminum in them to make at the least five aluminum cans."

"_Jeez_. Anything on his arms other than the rug burns?"

Rodgers uncovered the body and picked up his arm, "There are bruises running from the shoulder to the elbow and definite indentions from the ropes that held them up on his wrists. I found some tissue under his nails. I'm running the DNA through the system now."

"So Robert was right, he was held up by his arms." Johnson said, looking closer at the wounds.

Rodgers narrowed her eyes at her, "Robert? The only time I hear Goren called that is when someone is pissed at him."

Johnson looked up, "It's a _little_ weird to call my ex by my old last name... When you get a match on the DNA, call us."

Rodgers smiled, "Good luck with the colony."

"_Thanks_..."

* * *

"Rodgers found skin under Truman's nails. She's running the DNA through the data base right now... Any luck with the prints on the mask?"

Goren picked up the notes from the lab and looked over them, "There were no prints visible on it, but they did pick up a blonde hair."

Meirhofer sat down on a desk, "Isn't the secretary a blonde?"

Ross nodded, "Yes, but so are half of their workers'... Both male _and_ female."

"Can we get a list of workers who might hold a grudge?" Johnson asked, taking the notes from Goren.

"I can put in a request, but Truman didn't reveal that he lost the building until the night that he was murdered. I need you three in the colony tonight. Your hotel room is booked for two nights. You will start with Mr. Clark Gosford. He's willing to talk to you at the hotel. He and Lisa are the only two that know you for being cops. For the others you need to stay undercover and get all of the information you can."

Goren nodded, "Fine... You said room; as in singular..."

"Detective, we don't have much time to run this case. I have to have this in court by Monday; there wasn't enough time to get more than one room."

Johnson stood up, "I'll take the roll-away. It'll be like when I was in Germany."

Eames glanced at Goren, "They made you sleep on cots?"

"Nope, just the ones who aggravated the captains got the cots, the rest of us got the nicer beds." he answered, smiling.

Eames and Ross both stared at Johnson who shrugged, "Hey, one of the officers in our force had her eye on Robert... I had my eye on him as well, she got pissed and tried to break me because I was the only one she could get her hands on. Bobby might've tried to impress that girl by reading the Qur'an, but I still won. Simple as that."

"I think I have a _slightly_ different perspective for you now..." Ross laughed.

Eames stood up, adjusting the gun on her hip, "So can we carry bags around for our guns and badges, or is that not normal?"

"You can be the judge of that."

* * *

Mickey's Hotel

Thursday, February 14

Eames, Goren, and Johnson all entered the hotel a little pervious, as expected. As promised, there was a room for the three of them where they immediately became even more uncomfortable. Goren sat on one of the beds, "Look at the lengths we go to stop a murderer."

Johnson sighed in agreement. Eames joined Goren on the bed, "So when do we meet this Mr. Gosford? And do we _have_ to go naked?"

Johnson tried an optimistic route, "I guess it can't be worse than the prostitution cover I had for a month."

Goren looked horrified, "Having _sex_? You posed as a prostitute while our son was growing up!?"

"No, _not_ having sex. And Gosford is expecting us in forty-five minutes. Unfortunately, we have to be nude. He wants to keep his social status..." Johnson's cell went off, "Hello?" she put the phone on the loud speaker, "Yeah, we're all here Captain."

Ross' voice rang through the room, "Detectives, I've just word that Mr. Jacobs is in the bar at your hotel. Strip down and start questioning."

The phone on the other end was hung up and the three stared at each other. Eames stood up and walked to the bathroom, Johnson and Goren just stared at each other, "Well... _This_ couldn't get any more awkward."

Eames walked out of the bathroom in a robe, "Let's get this over with, and try not to make eye contact for at least a month."

Johnson and Goren both agreed, then Johnson hit the bathroom. Eames sighed, "Oh Bobby, what have we gotten ourselves into?"

"I don't know Alex, I don't know."

* * *

The detectives spotted Mr. Jacobs at once. They pushed off their discomfort and Goren led them over to the bar. Eames and Johnson sat to his right, and Goren sat down to his left, setting his leather folder down in front of him. Jacobs looked flustered, tired, and drunk. Goren started to talk to him, "Hey, I'm Bobby. Are you alright?"

The man looked up, "I'm alone, in a bar, on Valentine's Day, how do you _think _I am?"

Goren slapped Jacobs on the back, "Let me buy you a drink."

"Thanks, I guess."

"Say, would you happen to know of a good therapist in town?" Goren asked, waving the bar tender over, "Two beers please."

Jacobs was unresponsive for a while, "The bastard doesn't help with anything. I paid for him to help me get through the divorce; I swear he leaked information to my ex-wife."

Goren acted disappointed, "That's the last thing I need, my wife is leaving and I'd like to keep my kids, but I have a tendency to lash out..."

"As do I, but that was only half of it..."

"How so?"

"I don't think I want to discuss that right now. Thanks for the drink." with that, he got up and left, his beer untouched.

Eames and Johnson pulled their chairs closer, "So Jacobs had a problem with him as well? My best bet is the other two don't like him either."

The bar tender walked up to the detectives, "Can I help you two now?"

They had about thirty-five minuets to kill, so Eames ordered the usual vodka martini, double, easy on the vermouth, Goren already had his beer, and Johnson just stuck with water. The bar tender gave her a dirty look as he handed it to her. She rolled her eyes as he walked away, "It was easier when we had badges on us."

"It would probably be easier if you just ordered a drink that he can be paid for." Goren said sitting back in his chair, then realized what he was doing, then sat back forward.

Johnson took a sip of her water, "Yeah, like I'm going to let my guard down while I'm naked. Are you two ready to go? I think those guys are looking Bobby up..."

Goren glared, "_Funny_."

* * *

Hotel Room 203

Thursday, February 14

"Mr. Gosford, thank you so much for agreeing to do this." Johnson said as she sat down on the bed in the room. Clark was kind enough to see the detectives discomfort and, after they were in the room, he handed them robes.

Goren, after everyone was as comfortable as they could get, started asking questions, "If you are so afraid of your status in this community being destroyed because of talking to us while we are fully clothed, why did you go to see a fully clothed therapist?"

Clark sighed heavily, "I was ordered to see him. No one knew about him but the judge and my ex. Thankfully, my ex doesn't hate me enough to spill to the community."

"What was Truman like during the sessions?" Johnson asked as she borrowed a pad of paper from the desk.

"He listened, but it was hard to get him to answer a question..."

Eames looked out the big window, "Did he ever give examples of what his life was like to help you get through your pain?"

"No, he just listened."

Goren pointed to a picture of two children on the night stand, "These are your kids?"

"Yes, I'm proud of the both of them."

Goren stood up and started pacing, "Could you think of any reason why anyone would want to kill Mr. Truman?"

Clark shook his head, "I've heard that he was a leak... Everything a patient had said confidentially would be given to his ex to use against him in court."

Johnson wrote one last note down, "One last question and we are done for now. Where were you on the twelfth around eleven pm?"

"I was here working on my speech for my company."

Eames sighed, "And I suppose that no one can vouch for you?"

"Like I said, I was alone."

* * *

Eames and Johnson entered their hotel room and threw on their pajamas. Goren had gone down to the hotel front desk to check the key records. Johnson crashed on her cot, "Well, it looks like _anyone_ that knew this guy had it out for him."

"Well, we still have to see Lisa tomorrow... Let's see what her perspective is."

Johnson flipped through TV stations like there was no tomorrow, "I still don't know what Ross is trying to do... Hiring a rookie for a huge case like this and not even let him go under cover..."

"I said that about Goren the first time I met him... Now see how well we get along?" Eames asked taking the controller that Johnson was handing her.

"It's just; I really don't see this ending well for either of us. I read his file last night and I've trained people like him... Is that Ross' whole point, for me to train another one?"

Eames shrugged, "Ross is different from any captain I've ever had... You just have some major things on your plate right now, Goren for example. How is that going anyway?"

Johnson sighed heavily, "_Really_ slow... I thought I'd bring Bobby by after we get out of this place."

"Did you ever think about telling him how you really feel?"

Johnson scoffed, "Who Robert? _Yeah_, and have him laugh in my face? I think not."

Eames rolled her eyes, "Look, I can get a hotel room for tonight and let you two sort this out if you need me to. It's Valentine's Day... Perfect night for reconciliation."

"No, you are _not_ leaving me to reveal something like that!"

Goren entered the room with a few papers loose from his binder, "Gosford's alibi checked out. He entered his room at seven and his door wasn't opened again until six the next morning."

Eames took the papers, "Looks like we hit a dead end."

"Not necessarily, turns out the man at the reception desk knows Truman's last patient. The receptionist didn't know about the murder, but gave his buddy an alibi. There are pictures from a photo booth around the time of the killing. He's going to have him come in tomorrow after we're done with Lisa. He just might have some ideas."

Johnson grabbed her phone, "Great, I'll call Meirhofer. Hopefully I can start to train him like Ross wants."

As she filled Meirhofer in on what they had found out and Goren had gotten clothes back on, Eames started to go over the security footage from the company again using the VCR they had borrowed. "Look at this..." Eames said as she paused the film and pointed to the time code, "Lisa Fields had to have seen the person that turned the camera... It was turned as she was sitting at her desk."

"I can't _wait_ to hear her explanation for this..." Goren said as he sat down on his bed, binder laying open in front of him.

* * *

Interrogation Room

Major Case

Friday, February 15

"Lisa, I just need to know what happened on Wednesday after Truman left the office."

Lisa looked at Goren, "I didn't see anything at all. After he left, I went into Mr. McCloud's office to work on some papers."

Eames cut in, "Did you see anyone in the hallway? The last tapes that actually showed the hallway were time-coded around ten thirty."

"No, I didn't see anyone. I was on my coffee break then."

Goren stood up from his chair, "Well, the footage we have says otherwise."

"I don't know what you are talking about."

Eames motioned toward the mirror to bring in the TV, "I guess it's a good thing that we can refresh your memory then."

Johnson pushed the cart into the room and cued up the tape. Fields watched in horror as the tape did show her at her desk when she claimed to be gone, "I swear I didn't do anything..."

"Just like you _swore_ you weren't there. What happened Lisa?" Goren asked, getting in her face.

Lisa glared, "I want a lawyer."

The detectives left her in the room, going into the observation room where Meirhofer and Ross were waiting. Meirhofer stepped forward, "I've been interviewing the family members of the four patients that Truman had... Did you ever get a statement from Jon Compton about where he was the night of the murder?"

Eames looked over their findings, "Um, he claimed to be with his brother."

Meirhofer looked at the papers and smiled, "What brother?"

Ross looked through the glass at Lisa, "Get him in here."

* * *

"Mr. Compton, I need you to come with us. We left too many loose ends from the last time we talked!" Johnson called through the front door. Meirhofer, Goren, and Eames were waiting out of sight of the window. There was no response from the inside of the building, so Johnson joined them to get their plan into action. Meirhofer was quiet, ready for anything. Johnson however was giving last minute pointers to him, "Stay out of range, it's more than likely he has a gun."

Meirhofer nodded, "Alright."

Johnson stood up, "I'm going in... I need all of you to cover me," she turned back to Meirhofer, "but don't let him know you or the others are here. No matter _what_ happens, stay quiet. Things here at MC are a lot different than what you are used to, trust me."

A team of cops had just arrived, surrounding the house. Johnson walked up to the door, "Compton, I'm still here... Can I talk to you?"

The door opened a crack; She pushed it open a bit further and stepped inside. Thankfully, Compton wasn't in this room anymore or he would've seen her letting Eames, Goren, and Meirhofer slip inside behind her. She followed the hall into a dining room where Jon sat, a gun to his head. Upon seeing her, he turned the gun on her, "What do you want?"

"I need to know what happened the night of the murder. What made you do this?"

He cocked the loaded gun, "Have you ever found who you thought to be '_the one'_, then gotten a divorce from them?"

"Yes, I have... But..."

Jon fired the gun at the wall behind her, plaster showering her back, "THEN YOU ARE NO DIFFERENT FROM MY WIFE!"

Johnson shook her head, her voice wavering a bit , "What happened the night of the murder?"

Cocking the gun again, Jon smiled a crazy smile, "That bastard ruined my life... Oh, I got him back. Lisa and I would've never met if it wasn't for our hatred of him..."

Johnson could see Goren, Eames, and Meirhofer in the door way behind Jon, telling her to keep interrogating, "Jon, you know Lisa? When did you two meet?"

Jon lowered his gun a bit so it was no longer pointed at her head, but her arm, "The night before we killed him."

"Did you adjust the cameras?"

Jon grinned, "Yep, and I hung that ass on the bin, that was all me. Lisa just distracted him."

"Jon, can you put the gun down? We can get you some help..."

Jon stood up so fast, his chair was knocked over, "I DON'T NEED NO STINKING HELP!!!" he roared. The next few minutes went by in a flash, Johnson reached calmly toward him to get the gun, but was shot in the left arm in the process. A colorful array of German swear words filled the air as Johnson fell back, grabbing at the wound.

Meirhofer saw this and panicked, "SOME BODY CALL A...Oof!" Goren threw his hand over his mouth to stop him from doing anymore damage, but it was too late, Meirhofer was shot in the stomach by Jon, who immediately turned back to Johnson,

"You broke my heart and took my world you bitch!" He made to pull the trigger again, but Eames blind-sided him and Goren grabbed the gun.

Eames stood him up, slapping cuffs on his wrists, "You're under arrest." She passed him off to a nearby SWAT member, "How much you wanna bet he makes for an insanity plea?"

Goren shook his head as paramedics carried Meirhofer out on a stretcher, "He was just a rookie..."

Johnson walked over to them, her arm blood soaked, with an EMT following her, trying to soak it all up, "I'm so getting fired after this. He was my responsibility..."

The EMT looked up at Johnson's face, "Ma'am, I need you to come with me. This bullet needs to come out."

Goren and Eames watched as she left with him, "Bobby, promise me you won't end up like Jon."

"I'm more together than he is." Goren replied, unloading his gun.

* * *

"They have Jon doing twenty-five to life in an institution where he can get the help he needs." Ross said, taking a seat at his desk.

"And Lisa is doing the same at a maximum security prison up in the Bronx. Turns out, it was _her_ skin under Truman's nails." Eames said, taking a chair next to Mr. McCloud.

He smiled, "I can't thank you detectives enough... Even though that man could be a total ass, he was still a close friend."

Goren watched as he stood up to leave, "So what are you doing with your business now that your building is gone?"

"You didn't hear? We got a new lease on the place... I'm still in business!"

The three smiled at him as he left. Goren turned to Ross, "Captain, what are you going to do with Johnson?"

"I talked to Meirhofer this morning after his anesthesia wore off. He told me everything. I still have to stick her on probation, but she's still staying."

Eames nodded, standing up and walking to the door, "Bobby, I think there is someone here to see you."

Goren stood and looked out the window, Johnson was standing out by Goren's desk with a handsome eleven year old boy, who truly did have his father's eyes. He immediately left Ross' office and went to them. The boy threw his arms around his father for the first time, a huge grin on his face.

Eames walked up to Johnson, "I thought you weren't suppose to drive?" she teased, pointing to the sling on her left arm.

"I took a cab."

Eames noticed a small tear on Johnson's cheek as she watched the young boy talk excitedly, "You did the right thing. I'm glad Bobby is connecting with his son. This can be a good family picture, just talk to him."

She nodded sadly, "I know I should, but for now, I'd just like to be the one cut off by the frame."


	4. Grave For Mother Goose

Disclaimer: Law & Order: Criminal Intent and all of its characters do not belong to me. However, Det. Val Johnson's mine.

"Michael you creep! What have you done? Now we're lost." a young teenage girl yelled at her twin brother.

He rolled his eyes at her then jumped over a log, "You worry too much. If you are so concerned, call mom."

The girl opened her phone and stared at it in dismay, "I would if I had service. I told you we shouldn't have left the picnic."

"Kayla," Michael snapped, "we're going to be fine.. Look, there's a campsite. The people are bound to know where the road is..."

The two ran to the RV parked at the site and knocked at the door. The fire pit was smoldering, so the person couldn't have left too long ago, if they had left at all.

"Maybe we should just try to find the road ourselves..." Kayla started to say, but was cut off by the door to the RV being flung open. A young looking woman stepped out, dressed in a tight black tank and low-rise jeans. She looked at the two with a skeptical eye,

"Can I help you two?"

Michael stepped back a foot, "We're lost.. We need to get back to our family."

"What's the matter with her, can't she speak for herself?" the woman asked nodding toward Kayla.

Kayla tried hard not to lose her temper. She was a quiet girl when she wanted to be, and right now, that's all she wanted to be, "We do need help, ma'am. Please?"

The woman nodded and invited them in, "Don't you know the woods are dangerous at night?"

Kayla decided to speak for the both of them again as she set her book bag on the floor, "We were playing hide-and-go-seek with our family... It's a tradition for our family reunions."

"Here, have some cookies." the woman said, laying a plate of ginger bread cookies on the table in front of them. Michael looked at Kayla and shrugged, reaching out for a cookie. Kayla's eyes got big as she quickly shook her head. The woman was standing behind Michael with a rope wrapped around both hands, ready to strangle him. Her warning came too late, Michael's air supply was cut off. Kayla jumped up to fight the attacker off her brother, but one kick sent her flying into the stove, knocking her unconscious. Michael was flailing, trying to get this rope off his neck, but was overpowered. Before he blacked out, he heard the woman mutter, "Mother Goose will be pleased."

"Two bodies, one male, the other female. These kids were burnt to a crisp... There's a family that says these two could be their relatives, twins, Kayla and Michael. The family says that the two went into these woods to play a game of hide-and-go-seek about two days ago. When they never came back, the family got worried and called for search parties. The trail ends here for the both of them." Ross explained as he led the three detectives to where the bodies lay, "Johnson, you should still be on leave."

Johnson shrugged, "My arm's fine now, Captain. No pain, no gain."

"Do not preach to me detective. You are still on thin ice for what happened to Meirhofer. Morris should be here soon. You screw this up, it's back to drug busting for you. Not my call, but I still have to enforce it."

Johnson nodded, then walked back over to Eames and Goren at the fire pit, "Jeez, haven't had anyone bust my chops this much since you Bobby."

Goren looked up from one of the charred bodies, "Thanks?"

Eames looked to see if Ross was within earshot, "He's just pissed that Rodgers broke it off. And with the guys upstairs up his ass after every case doesn't help either."

"Whoa, Ross and Rodgers?" Johnson asked, surprised, "Couldn't see that coming."

"Took us by surprise as well. Bobby, have you got anything?"

Goren looked up at the two, "This girl... She's got some blunt force trauma on her skull... Almost as if she was pushed into, or hit with something." he stood up and walked over to a leaf covered area, "There was some type of RV or camper parked here... Can we get a picture of these tracks?"

One of the CSU photographers nodded and started snapping pictures. Another approached, "Do you want soil samples as well?"

"After the photos." Goren walked back to the bodies as they were being put in bags to take to Rodgers. He knelt back down, "Wait, what's that... Ginger bread?"

Grabbing a glove, Johnson picked it up and smelled it, "Good call. Take this as evidence." she dropped it in a bag and stood up.

A tall, pretty, brunette woman walked up to the three, and extended her hand, "Hi, I'm Sandra Morris. Johnson's new partner?"

Johnson pulled off the glove and shook her hand, "It's nice to finally meet you. Has Ross told you anything?"

"Ross attempted to fill me in; he left off at the part about the twins." Morris said, looking around.

Eames joined them, shaking Morris' hand, "Robert found tire tracks and a ginger bread cookie. We've got the CSU following the tracks, and the cookie..."

Morris laughed, "You do know what this sounds like right? Two siblings out lost in the woods, baked in a fire, ginger bread?"

Goren walked up to them, "Hansel and Gretel, only this time, the witch won."

Morris shook her head, "My nephew loves that story... There's no way I can read it to him the same way again..."

Ross joined the four, "Goren, Eames, go talk to the parents. Johnson, Morris, go talk to the rest of the family. See what you can come up with. And Johnson, remember what I said."

Residence of Mika

& Elisha Adams

Monday, March 10

"I don't know why anyone would kill my babies. They didn't even have the chance to get their drivers license!" the light skinned African American cried into her husband's arms.

Eames put her hand on the woman's back, "We are truly sorry for your loss."

Goren was looking at pictures of the twins when they were younger that were on the wall, "They were how old... Sixteen? I'm sure they had friends that might know."

Mika pulled his wife closer to him, "There was one girl that hung around them, a Mariah something-or-other..."

Eames nodded sympathetically, "Do you know where she lives, or have an address for her?"

Elisha shook her head, her face tear streaked, "No, but she's in all of Kayla's classes..."

Pointing to a picture of the twins on the swings, Goren asked, "This picture... Was it taken at the park?"

"Yes, they loved it there. They were the ones who chose the site for the picnic." Mika answered as he looked sadly at the picture, his voice catching.

Eames thanked the parents, then she and Goren left.

Morris and Johnson had finished questioning the outer family, receiving nothing helpful from them, and met Eames and Goren at the school.

"Kayla and Michael were strait A students, if you ask me. They got along with everyone as far as I could see..."

The two detectives were seated in front of a big, old fashion teacher's desk in what looked to be two very uncomfortable student's desks. "Mr. Joel, we need to know if anyone started to treat them different in the last few days."

The balding man thought for a moment, "Not that I could see, you might try and ask their home room teacher Mr. Gregory."

As they left the room, Eames and Goren joined them, "Get anything?"

Morris shook her head, "Other then the fact that they are prize students, no. Did you find Mariah?"

Eames tugged at the visitor's pass that was attached to her shirt, "Goren bullied them into giving us her home address."

"You seem to be good at that aren't you Bobby?" Johnson asked, softly punching his arm.

Goren ignored the last remark and continued on his way to the home room, "Let's just concentrate on the investigation."

The detectives entered the precinct, a bit disgruntled. Ross approached them, "What'd you find?"

Johnson threw her coat on her chair, "We got nothing from the teachers or Mariah."

"And the family was no help." Eames finished.

"This killer... They didn't know what they were really doing... The way the bodies were laid, one right on top of the other... If this killer knew what he or she was doing, they would've been side by side; they burn better that way..." Goren said, thinking aloud.

"Now days, what killer really does?" Eames sighed.

Ross' office phone went off, "Ross... Great, thanks." he hung up the phone and joined the detectives, "They found an RV not too far away from the park, Johnson, Morris, go check it out. Eames, Goren, there's been another murder."

Marty's Gas & Bar

Monday, March 10

"These tires definitely match the tracks at the scene... The reverse tread is the same..." Morris said as she stood up, "We've got a warrant, right?"

"Yeah, we've got one. Let's get this over with before the owner comes out..." Johnson answered, throwing some notes down on her notebook.

Morris shook her hair out of her eyes as a young woman walked out of the station looking pissed, "Too late, here she comes..."

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING NEAR MY RV?" the woman walked up to the detectives, ready to attack.

Morris grabbed her arm, twisting it behind her back, "Enforcing a search warrant. We are investigating a murder, and you're under arrest."

"For what?" the woman spat.

Johnson cuffed her, "Attempted assault of an officer."

The two handed her off to another officer for the reading of rights and entered the RV. Morris pulled her gloves on, "There's a book bag in here... Do you think this is her shade?" she asked as she pulled out a dark shade of lipstick.

"There's blood on the stove... Definite possibility they were killed in here..." Johnson said, getting the CSU to photograph it, then took a swab, "Hopefully they can prove they died before the fire..."

Morris shrugged, "There was enough flesh and blood vessels left from the girl to tell... Rodgers is going to get us the results of the autopsy later today."

"Great. Let's get photos of these things, then tow this hunk of metal on wheels back to our lab, and see what else we can find."

Central Park

Monday, March 10

Goren and Eames entered the woods, a medical examiner filling them in as they went, "Young girl, I'd say around thirteen, raped and beaten, then left for dead in the middle of this woods with nothing but this red sweatshirt on." they approached the area where the body lay, the examiner held out a bag with some type of animal fur inside, "And this was found next to her."

Goren took the bag from him, and looked the fur over, "Looks like wolf fur... Have Rodgers run this to check if it's real..." The examiner nodded, took the bag, and walked away. Goren bent down next to the body and uncovered her face and hands, "This girl... She fought back... There are defensive wounds down her arms... Was there a missing person's report for this girl?" he asked, catching the pant leg of a CSU as he walked by.

The man stopped and looked down at him, "Yeah... We believe this body to be what's left of a Sarah Reyes... She was suppose to show up at her grandmother's apartment three weeks ago."

"This is too much of a coincidence... Two killings based on fairy tales... Not to mention the fairy tales being from the Brothers Grimm collection..." Eames said, checking the prints in the mud, "These people aren't careful... Amateurs did this... Part of a cult?"

Goren straitened his back as he stood up, "Might be... If it is, there's no telling where they will stop."

"Where'd you get the book bag Grace?"

The woman glared at Morris, "It's mine, got a problem with that?"

Johnson looked up from rooting through the bag, "_Yeah_, actually, we do. The dead girl's prints are all over everything in this bag, and the cell phone has her family's numbers in it. Want to explain that?"

"I want a lawyer." was Grace's only response.

The two detectives walked out of the interrogation room, Johnson set the book bag on her desk and pulled her gloves off. Ross joined the two, "Eames and Goren called, they have a theory a cult's behind this. What's your say?"

"We'd have to find at least one more murder to say... Not that I want another murder to be committed..." Johnson said, making sure she wasn't misinterpreted.

"I understand detective... What did you get from Grace's RV?"

Morris handed Ross the file she had gotten from Rodgers, "The blood we found in her trailer matched the girl's. As did the prints on the things in the bag... There's no doubt the twins were knocked out in her RV."

"Get her lawyer in here... The sooner we can get her prosecuted, hopefully, the sooner she'll talk."

"You people are sloppy, disgraceful, and a total embarrassment! We formed this group to show that evil will prevail, not mess up! Grace was caught today because she forgot to destroy her evidence! Peter, tell me you didn't mess this one up."

The man only known as 'Peter' looked up at the woman standing over him, "No. I cleaned up. I'm in the clear. I left the fur like you told me to."

"Good. Now Lisa, open your book to page twenty-nine. Start reading, study every move, and find your targets. I want this over tonight."

Lisa cowered, "Yes Mother Goose."

"Detectives, I really enjoy testing things for you, but from now on, send the fur to my intern." Rodgers said as she handed the results to Eames.

Eames looked the results over, "Oh, you finally got an intern?"

Rodgers nodded as a younger man stepped out from behind one of the shelves, "John Markson, these are detectives Goren and Eames from Major Case. Detectives, someone else to stress out for the results."

"Nice to meet you. You go all out on the Goth stuff don't you?" Goren asked, shaking the man's hand.

Markson smiled, "Almost. I know people who are more dedicated. I ran the fur through the Protected Wildlife system and matched it to a wolf they have at a petting zoo at the Bronx. You might want to shoot for anyone who'd been around the wolves during the winter. The thickness of the hair is clearly from a winter coat." Markson said as he pulled another file from a pile, "These are the autopsy results for the twins that you are waiting for, and the autopsy for 'Little Red' is being done right now by Rodgers."

"Wow...He's young _and_ efficient." Eames said with a roll of her eyes.

"Thanks, I try to be..."

Goren stared at the computer as it printed out the information on the zoo, "I didn't know we had the Protected Wildlife's information..."

Markson shook his head, laughing, "We don't, I had to run it to them..."

Rodgers looked up from the autopsy she was conducting, "There are no fluids in her. The perp must've used a rubber..."

"So there's no chance of tracking him down?" Eames asked.

"I didn't say that detective, there is a slight chance we might be able to... Ah, a hair..." Rodgers exclaimed as Goren handed her a pair of tweezers. She took it over to the microscope, "This is definitely not your victim's. Markson, once I'm done with this, start running this DNA through the system. Detectives, you're on your way to catching this killer."

Goren turned and silently whispered to Eames, "It's almost as if they want to get caught..."

"What have you got detectives?" Ross asked as the four entered the office space in their building.

Johnson put a dollar in the vending machine and pushed a button, "The twins were burned alive. According to Rodgers' report, they were unconscious, but I can't imagine what that must've been like..."

"Goren and I are about to go to the petting zoo Markson found and see what type of information we can get from them. Could we get a warrant for all of the male workers there?" Eames asked as her soda dropped into the pick-up slot in the machine.

Ross sighed, "I'll see what I can do, detective. But I can't make any promises. Johnson, Morris, what is your next move?"

Morris looked up from her bag of chips, "We're going to work on Grace a bit more... See if we can't get something out of her."

Old McDonald's Petting Zoo

North Side, Bronx

Tuesday, March 11

Goren and Eames pulled up to an old, worn looking petting zoo. The two got out of the car and entered the main building. The elderly woman at the desk smile was friendly as she held up a finger, indicating she'd be done with the phone in a minute. Goren smiled back and flashed his badge. The woman's face contorted into a panic state. She hung up the phone and approached them, "I'm sorry... Look, we'll pay the bills as soon as we can... We don't have as many customers as we did last year... I swear I'll get the money in..."

"We're not here about that ma'am. We're here about your wolves." Eames explained, as the woman's face went from panic back to calm.

Goren looked around him, "Nice place you've got here... How long have you been open?"

"We've been here for at least twenty years..." The woman said with an even bigger grin than before, "Now what's that about our wolves?"

Eames handed her the print out Markson had given her, "This hair here was found at a crime scene. We need a list of all of the men who have access to them..."

"That would be my son... He's the only man I've really seen around them, but he wouldn't have anything to do with a crime..."

Goren finished another three-sixty and looked at the woman, "Could... Could we speak to your son?"

The woman looked at him suspiciously, "I suppose so... Billy's at the monkey's cage right now..."

"Are you Billy?" Goren yelled as he and Eames approached the cage.

The young man turned around and faced the two as a lemur jumped onto his back, "Hold on..." He backed up so the lemur was close to the tree. It jumped off his back and he stepped forward once again, "Sorry... Can I help you?"

Goren and Eames held up their badges and Eames introduced them, "I'm detective Eames. This is Detective Goren. We're investigating a murder case and some of our evidence came from your petting zoo..."

"That little guy right there... He's so cute... How old is he?" Goren asked as another lemur jumped onto Billy's back. Eames rolled her eyes, "Oh brother..."

Billy pulled the lemur off his back and cradled him in his arms, "Want to hold him? I've got to give him a shot anyway..."

"Uh, sure..." Goren handed his binder to Eames, stepped inside of the cage, and Billy handed the lemur to him.

Eames crossed her arms, "Billy, would you be willing to give us a DNA sample?"

"Why? Am I a suspect?" he asked, helping Goren with the squirming lemur.

"According to your mother you are the only male to go near the wolves for a while..."

Billy quickly stuck the lemur with the syringe, injected the fluid and pulled it out, "Yeah, I'll give a DNA sample... I didn't do anything... But you should know there's been this guy hanging around here... He comes around at least once a week... In fact, he was just here yesterday... He always watches the wolves, says he's writing some type of paper for college... If you ask me, I'd say he's just trying to cover his ass. He was always on his laptop, always on MySpace..."

"Then why didn't your mother name him?" Goren asked as he handed the lemur back to Billy, "Thanks."

"He always comes around when my mom's not here... I think his first name is Peter..."

Goren stepped out of the cage, "No last name?"

Billy followed Goren, "No, he always paid with cash... He and were only on a first name basis... I do have his phone number. I am supposed to call him when we get the new wolf in."

"Did this Peter ever pet the wolves?"

Billy picked up a bucket full of food and started to fill the food troughs at the cage for the bears, "Only once... It was in the winter, I remember because he wanted to feel how the winter coat differentiated from the summer one. He is going to come back this summer to pet them..."

"We need you to call him. Tell him you got the wolf early." Goren said as they followed Billy to the next cage.

"Alright, whatever you need... Do you still want that sample?"

Goren nodded, "If you would be so kind... We'll go back to the office, but first..." Goren reached over and pulled some of Billy's hair out. Billy's eyes started to water, but he nodded and walked away as Goren put the hair into a bag.

"What's up with that?" Eames asked as she and Goren walked away, "You're just letting him go?"

Goren turned left down the path, "He didn't do it. He's revealing his arms, there are no bruises anywhere. Sarah fought back... She got a piece of whoever she was attacked by..."

"I just hope you're right Bobby."

"Detectives, you're shooting in the dark. My client is innocent."

Morris rolled her eyes, "Right, then how does she explain the blood and the book bag in her RV?"

"I'd like a moment with my client."

Johnson and Morris left the room a bit disgruntled. Ross was waiting for them in the observation room, "Detectives, this is going nowhere fast. Goren and Eames are bringing in another suspect, let's try to get them to rat on each other..." Ross' phone went off, "Ross... Oh my God... Thank you, they'll be there soon."

Johnson's face fell, "That didn't sound like a good 'oh my god'..."

"It's not; four women were just murdered at a soup company up in Brooklyn. Eames and Goren will meet you there. Once we get the evidence from that scene, we can run these two through..."

Mary's Homemade Soup

Brooklyn

Wednesday, March 12

The four detectives arrived around the same time at the factory, all looking even more disgruntled than before. They entered the building, greeted by the smell of boiling flesh and chicken soup. The bodies had been taken out of the vat and were not laying in unzipped body bags, but each covered over with a white cloth, which Goren at once went over to, pulling back the cloth to revile only her face, "These women, all four of them... Have they been identified yet?"

One of the investigators standing nearby shook his head, "No, but we've got Rodgers and Markson working on it."

"Great... Who found them?" Eames asked, stepping over one of the bodies to join Goren.

The investigator pointed toward the back, "He's back there. Says he was working on the last batch of soup for today when he found them."

Johnson nodded, "Thanks." She and Morris headed off in the direction the man had pointed to question the man.

Goren looked the body closest to him over, "This woman was shaved... There's no hair on her head at all... Even her eyebrows are gone..."

"Boiling would do that as well..." Eames suggested.

Goren shook his head and went to the other women, "No, they weren't boiling long enough to do that... Their hair had to be pulled out be... before they were tossed..." Goren turned to address a group of CSUs, "See if you guys can find the hair... It should be around here... In a pile..."

The group nodded in agreement and left. Eames and Goren stepped back to let the medical examiners zip up the bags and take them away for Rodgers.

Eames turned to walk towards where Morris and Johnson were questioning, but Goren stopped her, "Wait, we've still got to get all of that soup drained out of the vat...'

"Let's let the CSU take care of that... Now let's go and do something you're really good at... Interrogation."

"Mr. Hall, we need to know if you've seen anyone suspicious around here." Johnson said as she and Morris entered the office.

The older man looked shaken, but was able to talk, "My daughter and I are the only two around here... But I know Lisa wouldn't do anything like this... Besides, she was on the internet in my office all afternoon..."

"Where is Lisa now?" Morris asked, handing the man a tissue.

He quickly wiped his eyes, "She's at a friend's house... She was only home for a few hours today..."

"Where was she this morning?"

"At the same friend's house... They're inseparable."

Johnson nodded as she wrote that down, "Could we have access to your computer and what your daughter was on?"

"Why, is my daughter a suspect?" Mr. Hall asked, looking angry.

Morris shook her head and calmly said, "No, sir. We're just trying to cover all of our bases. Could we at least get the address of where she's staying right now? We have to question her as well."

"Talk to my lawyer first."

"Great, so he lawyered up... What else have you got, other than a giant headache?" Ross asked as the four detectives entered his office.

Morris sat down in the nearest chair, "The DNA we got off of the pubic hair that was found on Sarah matches the DNA from Peter. His lawyer finally made him give a sample... I love amateur lawyers, they have no idea what they're doing..."

Johnson laughed, "Yeah... Grace still won't talk, but we have enough evidence on her we could erect a monument fifty feet high and still have some leftover..."

"All we need now is a warrant to search through the computer at Mary's and for the address to where Lisa's staying. And once we get those, and the cult leader, we've got this case solved."

Goren shook his head, "No... There's a bigger picture that we just aren't seeing yet... Some point they are trying to make..."

"A point like, evil wins when you let it?" Johnson asked.

Goren shrugged, "Or something like that..."

"Detectives, why do you need a warrant for the computer?" Ross asked as he filled out a request for the warrants.

Morris looked up from her notes, "We need to be sure that Lisa wasn't sending messages to anyone that could've been the killer."

"I'm going to need more than that."

"She could've let them in. We need to know what type of things she could've been telling any potential murderer." Eames explained.

Ross sighed, "I'll see what I can do."

Pathology Lab

Wednesday, March 12

"Well, these four women were definitely shaved pre-mortem. Detectives, these women were boiled alive." Rodgers said, handing Johnson and Goren the four autopsy reports.

Morris shook her head in disbelief, "Those poor women..."

"And we've got names for them now. That one is Sally Scieszka, Mary Tarl, Darla Lane, and Samantha Laurence. They were big participants in the stop global warming movement."

Eames sighed, "The world is ending, the world is ending..."

"Chicken Little..." Johnson said, trying not to scream in frustration.

Goren looked over the reports, "Did CSU ever find the hair?"

"Yeah... This was found among it." Markson said, handing Goren a plastic bag with what looked to be fox hair, "It was definitely off a fur coat. All of the manufacturing companies coat the fur with a special protective coat. I also went through the soup that the women were in, but what was in there... Let's just say I'm never eating soup for the rest of my life..."

"I've got the websites up that Lisa was on... She seems to enjoy searching through MySpace... How far does the warrant allow us to go?" the technician asked, turning to Eames.

She looked it over, "We can go through the messages that only the public can see."

"Well, that might take a while... She posted over fifty."

Goren sighed, "See who she sent them to... If she sent more than two to one person... Check those."

"Well, that shouldn't be too hard... She sent them all to one person... The screen name's Gothic Mother Goose..."

Johnson rolled her eyes and scoffed, "That explains a lot..."

"None of them seem to say that she let someone in... Does kind of incriminate her though... Listen to this, 'Finished what you wanted... FL is back on top.' they all sort of sound like this... The way she writes, she makes it sound like she beat some type of video game for this 'Mother Goose'..."

"FL... Foxy Loxy?" Morris asked.

Goren leaned back in his chair, "Of course she wants it to sound like that... She had to code it so supposedly only members understand... That's how they work... Peter was on MySpace as well... See if there are any messages on 'Mother Goose's' page from someone who would sound like him..."

"Or just look for W." Eames added.

The technician looked confused, "W?"

"Wolf."

Goren held up his hand to stop him, "Never mind that, I've changed my mind. Go to this 'Mother Goose's' profile."

"It's blocked... I can hack it if you want me to..."

Johnson stood up, "No, then we can't use anything we get. Just read through the messages between this 'Goose' person and Lisa."

"Captain, we've got the address of where Lisa is staying and some very convincing messages from Lisa saying that she was the environmentalist killer." Morris said, handing Ross the printouts.

Ross looked them over, "How old is this Lisa?"

"According to her profile, she's in her early twenties..." Johnson answered, grabbing a cup of coffee from her desk.

"Alright, go check this place out. If you find this Lisa, bring her in for questioning only."

Design Studio

North Side Soho

Wednesday, March 12

As Morris and Johnson approached the door to the studio, they looked around in dismay. Morris sighed heavily, "This is a business... What is Lisa doing here?"

"Probably a little moonlighting... Looks like they're closed..."

Morris reached out and knocked on the heavy wooden door. The intercom buzzed next to her ear, making the already tired detective jump.

"Can I help you two ladies?" the voice asked through the intercom.

Morris pressed the response button, "I'm Detective Morris with Detective Johnson. We're looking for Lisa Hall. We need to question her about what her father found in the factory last night. Her father said she was there, so we need her statement, then we'll get out of her hair..."

"Fine... I'll let you in." Johnson and Morris heard the lock click. They opened the door and stepped inside.

"A starving artist's paradise..." Johnson laughed as they looked around them. There were paint canvasses, paint buckets, and anything else a painter could ask for all over the place.

"You'll have to forgive the mess... Our two o'clock just finished their session..." The detectives turned and saw a woman in her late twenties, wearing the gothic style, walking down one of the two spiral staircases in the building, "I'm Krista Walker. Lisa will be down in a minute. Can I offer you two coffee? You two look tired..."

Johnson shook her head, "No... Thanks."

"Now what's this about my father's business?" an even younger looking woman asked as she took the other staircase down.

Morris waited until Lisa was down on the main level to reply, "Your father puts you at the factory at the time he found the bodies, is that correct?"

"No, I had already left before he found them. I left him a note telling him where I'd be and left. He called me after he called the cops to tell me not to come back to work."

Johnson started to write this down, "And when did you plan to tell us that you weren't there? We had to ask around to get this address. Your father lawyered up as soon as we mentioned getting your statement..."

"That's my father. He's defensive because of my mother. She testified at a murder trial and was killed on her way out of the court house."

Morris looked shocked, "I'm sorry... Did you happen to see anyone entering or leaving the building when you were leaving?"

"No... I didn't see anything. I'm sorry. Look, If I remember anything, I'll call you alright? I feel sorry for those poor women... Were they really shaved?"

Johnson looked at her suspiciously, "How did you hear about that?"

"I read it somewhere..." Lisa said, trying to cover up her mistake.

Morris pulled out the handcuffs, "Nope... We haven't released that to anyone yet. You're now going down to our precinct to talk to our friends there."

Krista looked alarmed, "I'll call my lawyer Lisa! I'm sure he won't mind defending you!"

"Great, have him meet us at One Police Plaza. Alright?" Johnson asked as she and Morris led Lisa out of the building.

"Detectives, what did I tell you to do?" Ross asked as they led Lisa into the interrogation room.

Morris shut the door behind Lisa and turned to face Ross, "Captain, she knew about the hair. That was one detail that we didn't tell the news."

"We've already got two other people who need to be run through. We can't be bringing in every last person we find!"

"Where's my client? I need to talk with them..." Peter's lawyer asked as he entered the room, clearly frustrated.

Goren was close behind him, "Peter is still in the same holding cell that he's been in since we got out of interrogation."

"Not Peter, Lisa!"

Eames stood up from behind her desk, "Lisa? You're defending the both of them now?"

"Yes... This is good for my image as a lawyer, not to mention a statement against this corrupt force... Arresting people because they know one stupid little fact."

Johnson scoffed, "That stupid little fact might just bag your client Lisa faster than anything else."

"Where is she?" he asked again.

Ross pointed toward the door, "She's in there."

"Thank you."

"Detectives, you'd better be right on this one." Ross said as he turned and walked away toward his office.

Eames stepped up to the others, "Why is he defending the two of them?"

"He's also Krista Walker's lawyer... She seemed alarmed to have Lisa arrested in her business..."

Goren let these words process, "Her business... She let both Peter and Lisa use her lawyer... A punishment for getting caught? This lawyer clearly has no idea on what he's doing..."

"Are you suggesting that Krista's 'Mother Goose'? I really don't think she would let herself get caught this easily..." Eames said, shaking her head, "There's no way."

"She doesn't think she can get caught. The coding in the messages, the crappy lawyer... Her followers get screwed over so she can go free. We need another warrant."

Johnson sighed, "Ross is going to bust a blood vessel if we're wrong."

Design Studio

North Side Soho

Thursday, March 13

"Krista, this is a warrant to search your studio and apartment upstairs. We need you to sit here until we are done. The sooner you let us work, the sooner you can get back to work." Goren explained/ordered as he handed her the paper.

She looked it over, "You are acting on suspicion? This is what's wrong with this world's police..."

"Yeah, yeah, we've heard it all." Johnson snapped as she pulled on her gloves.

"Someone's pissy today..." Krista retorted as Goren once again pointed to a chair for her to sit in. She sat down, but continued to attempt to spew detrimental words at the detectives.

The four left the other investigators to search the studio to go through her apartment. Goren was the first to find something worth pulling the others over, "Look at this... Newspapers from all over the U.S... Indiana, Colorado... The members of this cult live for fame... The more fame they get,"

"The more they kill." Eames finished, taking some of the papers, "Look at this, Krista's 'lawyer' defended all of these suspects, and they were all convicted. Once you screw up, you're done..."

Morris shook her head, "This is just messed up, hasn't anyone checked this guy's credibility?"

"I did, he passed the bar some time before these crimes started up." Goren said as he pulled out another box of newspaper clippings.

Johnson walked over to the small couch, "You think he and Krista teamed up just to pull off these crimes? She's the master-mind behind them, and if there's a snag, he covers it up?"

"That's the way it seems."

Morris opened a cabinet, jumping back as about fifty plus Grimm Brother and other type of fairy tale books fell out, "Check this out..."

The others joined her at the pile and each picked one up, "These people have been busy... Every title in this book has a name by it, and every name has been marked out." Johnson remarked as she laid the book down, open to the table of contents.

"Every story is marked off in this book as well, and this book too." Eames added as she opened two more books.

Goren shook his head as he opened yet another book, "This book has all but one marked out... There's going to be another killing..."

"Which one is it this time?" Morris asked as she stacked up the books to be taken in as evidence.

"Snow White."

"Why'd you do it Krista?" Goren asked as he sat down across from Krista and her lawyer.

"Do what?" she asked as she pulled out a cigarette and lit it between her fingers.

As she was attempting to bring it to her lips, Goren pulled it out of her hand and took a long drag from it before crushing it out, "I think you know what I'm talking about. Where has your little minion taken her?"

"Who?" Krista asked.

She pulled out yet another cigarette, only to have Eames take it and the box, "There's no smoking in here. Your minion. We know about this little cult you're leading... Your little followers are squealing on you faster than you are setting up murders in this city. Your cult is falling apart fast."

Krista's lawyer leaned over to Krista and started to whisper in her ear. Goren laughed, almost evilly, "Look at you... You set these people up to fail, screw them over with a crap lawyer, thank God Grace could supply her own lawyer... Then once you get caught, you get yourself a better lawyer... I bet your cult member is out in the woods somewhere, holding a knife to the chest of a young girl, asking, 'Why the hell am I doing this? My leader, Mother Goose is just going to screw me over like she did the others.' He is going to kill this girl anyway, but you... Oh, you are going to lose this cult to him. He's not going to screw his members over like you do. He's going to fight until they're free. Consider yourself dethroned Mother Goose."

"Take a charge off, and I might spill..." Krista said smugly.

"No see, you'll spill without us taking a damn thing off the list!" Eames said. She got up and left the room, coming face to face with Ross, "Oh, sorry..."

Ross brushed it off, "Take the drug charge off."

"Captain, we can't barter with her... A woman is about to be killed."

Ross sighed, "I know detective. I've got teams out combing the woods."

Johnson stuck her head into the interrogation room, "Captain, we've got them. A team is holding him off for now, long enough to get his name, Ben, and the woman's, Anne. Thankfully, she's still alive and conscious."

As Goren started to lead Krista out of the interrogation room, she started screaming, "Do you think he'll listen to you? You have no authority over Mother Goose's children!"

Morris stepped forward and asked threatening, "What do you mean!"

Krista smiled dangerous, "Do you think you look or act like Mother Goose, like me?"

"So if I go and look like you and act like you, I'll get some respect?"

Krista glared, "That's only the half of it. You'd have to kill me first!"

"And that's not going to happen. You're staying here. We'll just have to do the next best thing..."

Eames pulled Morris back, "The next best thing being what exactly?"

"If looking like a gothic freak is the only way to control these creeps, that's what I'll do..."

Eames, Goren, and Johnson arrived in the woods in time to see the man's knife slip lower down the woman's chest. The three grabbed for their guns, expecting anything. Morris arrived shortly after. Johnson and Goren stepped aside, giving her the floor, "I need you to listen to me, put the knife down!"

He glared at her, pressing the knife closer to the girl's chest, "I don't listen to anyone!"

"Can you at least tell me why you're doing this?" Morris asked, her patients wearing thin.

Ben spat on the ground in front of him, "And why should I tell you?"

"Because we killed Krista. I've been appointed 'Mother Goose' by your little cult."

"And I should trust you because? That bitch said that she'd be a great leader, and she screwed us all over! Once this girl's dead, I'm taking over this cult!" he yelled as he gave a little slack on the woman he was holding.

Morris stepped forward, "I don't think you understand, I'm the leader now! Now hand me the knife."

"You can't be her..." the man spat.

"You kill the leader, you get the alpha rights, am I correct?"

Ben realized his grip was slacking, and pulled her closer, "Fine, I'll accept you as leader... But let me make this woman the first kill under new leadership..."

"No! Ben, let Anne go... You are to listen to me. I have the power now, and I want you to stop!"

Blood trickled from Anne's chest, and she whimpered. Ben stared at the Gothed out detective for a moment, a crazed look in his eyes, but he dropped the knife. Eames and Johnson holstered their guns and ran to help Anne. Goren grabbed Ben and led him to the car while the paramedics came and got Anne from the detectives. The four gathered together, watching Anne being led to an ambulance. Goren held up a small, wooden box that he had found on Ben, "He was going to leave this behind with her heart in it... He... He literally thought he was this evil woods man..."

Ross approached them, finally arriving at the scene, "Nice work detectives. Morris, I hope you like it here in Major Case. She seems to balance you out Johnson... And she doesn't get shot in the process... Just acquires a really different dress style..."

Morris rolled her eyes, "Don't worry, I promise I won't wear this to court..."

"Welcome to the squad." Eames said as they headed back to the cars, "Now let's get this interrogation over with... I haven't slept since we got this case."

"Who has?" Johnson laughed tiredly.

Squad Room

Friday, March 14

"Detectives, you might want to see this..." Ross said, standing in the doorway of his office. The four got up and entered the office where Ross had a package lying open on his desk.

Goren gave it a side glance, "What is it?"

Ross reached in and pulled out a stack of papers three inches thick.

"Are those the charges of Krista's cult members?" Johnson asked as she was handed a pile of the papers.

Eames took hers, "She had all of these done... For what? She's the only cult leader I've seen to gain nothing from the experience of having people killed..."

"For the thrill of rewriting the books... Have you ever read a book and not been happy with how it ended? That... That's what she's doing..."

Morris shook her head as she flipped through her stack, "Except she decides to live them out, not post a fan-fic on an online site..."

"There's another thing, detectives... Her lawyer, the one she passes out to her minions... It turns out he has been purposely running these people into the ground... But first..."

"He convinces them to leave their things to Krista... Or one of her closer minions... Why didn't I see that?" Goren exclaimed, setting his stack of papers down, "Are we going to be able to get her on all of these?"

Ross nodded, "All of those people were defended by the same lawyer... But it was never put together until now. Again, good work detectives."

"This is a nightmare..." Johnson sighed. She too set her stack of papers down on the desk.

"Or just the horrible beginning to a somewhat better ending." Morris said sadly, looking at a picture of one of the younger victims.

Eames sighed, "Let's just hope that we've woken up for good this time..."


End file.
